The Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) is an annual global gathering of health systems experts and practitioners, focused on addressing policy-related health issues. It serves as a platform for knowledge exchange, bringing together stakeholders to discuss key challenges and strategies for improving health systems worldwide. The report highlights HSTP's active participation at PMAC 2020, where it organized a side meeting titled "Two Giants Go Universal: India and Indonesia on Path to UHC," moderated by HSTP CEO Rajeev Sadanandan. The panel featured policymakers from India, Indonesia, and Thailand, sharing lessons from their journeys toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Additionally, HSTP sponsored eight Indian policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to participate in the event, gaining exposure to global best practices in health systems policy and UHC.
India has made significant strides toward UHC through initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat, which aims to expand coverage and improve access to health services. PMAC 2020 focused on accelerating progress toward UHC, and the report outlines six key takeaways for India's UHC journey, drawn from discussions at the conference.
The first takeaway emphasizes the need to analyze India’s healthcare path within the broader context of macro trends, such as economic challenges, the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and malnutrition. The report suggests forecasting changes in the country’s landscape and identifying opportunities to accelerate UHC progress.
The second key point highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement. Countries like Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, and Taiwan have successfully transformed their health systems through continuous dialogue and collaboration among key stakeholders. For India, cooperation among the Prime Minister's Office, NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Health, the National Health Agency, and state counterparts is essential to drive complex interventions towards UHC.
Raising revenues for health and using them efficiently is the third critical takeaway. The report argues that health financing in India must be positioned as a dependable social contract, incorporating strategies like expanding social health insurance and using disbursement-linked indicators to ensure efficient spending. Reducing fragmentation in the health system by standardizing service coverage and financing across providers is also emphasized.
The fourth takeaway underscores the central role of primary healthcare (PHC) as the foundation of high-performing health systems. The report highlights India’s ongoing efforts to revitalize primary healthcare through initiatives such as the National Health Mission and the Health and Wellness Centers, while stressing the need for a holistic ecosystem that integrates community networks and systems to deliver preventive, promotive, and curative services.
The fifth point calls for experimentation with new technologies and health system reforms. India should adapt global best practices while contextualizing them to its unique needs, with a focus on questions like universality versus targeting, benefit package design, and provider payment methods.
Lastly, the report emphasizes the need for institutional capacity building and the involvement of young people in the UHC process. It suggests that strong apex institutions are required for purchasing, service delivery, and monitoring progress towards UHC. Furthermore, engaging youth in decision-making can lead to faster adoption of new technologies, accountable investments, and innovative solutions for social welfare.
In conclusion, the report documents the significant insights and strategies discussed at PMAC 2020, providing a roadmap for India to accelerate its progress toward achieving UHC through stakeholder engagement, effective health financing, robust primary healthcare systems, and institutional capacity building.
