Nearly 30 million people in India could benefit from a series of practical initiatives being developed by the country’s first participants in the L4UHC programme.
Launched in the country in April 2023, the programme has brought together a variety of key stakeholders for advancing UHC from three states (Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab), the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir, and the National Health Authority (NHA).
During the first week-long meeting, the participants identified 15 issues that could be developed into practical initiatives in the next stage of the programme. One of the hallmarks of L4UHC is that it doesn’t just support participants in developing the skills needed to overcome political obstacles and build coalitions for change, it catalyses progress by supporting practical initiatives on the ground. Some of the potential initiatives being considered range from developing a voice-activated prescription system for doctors through to expanding e-health cards and tightening financial compliance.
The three states, the union territory and the NHA have each identified three potential initiatives and will narrow these down to one or two more fully developed proposals in the coming months.
“One of the big strengths of this programme is its focus on teamwork,” says Dr. Priyanka Pandit, a State Consultant in the Department of Health and Family Welfare for the Government of Himachal Pradesh. “We might not know the solutions individually, but together we can move forward towards UHC. There can be successes and failures but it’s teamwork that will enable us to get there in the end.”
Himanshu Burad, Officer on Special Duty to the National Health Authority, adds: “The sensing journey – where we concentrated on listening to others’ perspectives – was an interesting part of L4UHC; if you want to bring people on board as partners, you need to listen to them, not treat them as people who just take orders.”
The next steps of India’s involvement with L4UHC will include participants determining and implementing their practical initiatives, with support from local L4UHC coaches, and learning from those experiences.
Participants' perspectives
Hear what two of the participants in India said about the first L4UHC session in these two one-minute videos.
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