What I wish to convey is that in the post-Covid world, India's elite are not suddenly going to be convinced of the towering idea that the underprivileged deserve the same kind of quality healthcare services and protection from financial stress as the former have always enjoyed.

Those of us who wish to build such an equitable world, will have to work hard towards it. Medical & PH experts who want genuine universal healthcare, need to collaborate with social scientists, activists, journalists and grassroots advocates working on the ground with communities

Since academicians alone can’t achieve the political translation of their scholarly efforts, they need to reach out to others who can; an excellent example of such multidisciplinary, community-based advocacy in India is the work of the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan @jsa_india

We also need to give up advocating for half-hearted, inequitable efforts sugar-coated as UHC, like the Ayushman Bharat. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/health/health-activists-call-for-roll-back-of-flagship-health-insurance-scheme-63362

Considering COVID-19 wont b our last pandemic, and that serious climate-change-induced healthcare challenges are already knocking on our doors, the absence of strong govt-provided and financed healthcare in a country of 1.3 billion means we are constantly on the cusp of disaster.

It cannot be emphasized enough that we need to start getting comfortable with radical ideas rather than the status quo.

I had written an oped for @thewire_in last year, putting forward these arguments. Thankful to @1amnerd for publishing it. https://science.thewire.in/health/covid-19-india-universal-health-care-universalism/