India, Dec. 10 -- India will observe Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day on December 12. The country has many promises to keep as it moves towards the 2030 target for delivering UHC and before it can become Viksit Bharat by 2047. This calls for assured success in two endeavours: By 2030, all health benefits promised by UHC must be efficiently and equitably delivered; and by 2047, policies across multiple sectors must create a healthy society where security of health, nutrition, and income, among others, are assured.

To deliver UHC, India's health system needs to be agile (in responding to present health needs), adaptive (readily recalibrate resources and services to match altered circumstances) and anticipatory (predict and prepare for f...