Urban Health: The HSTP-led session, “Rethinking Health Financing: From Costs to Sustainable Investments,” spotlighted the importance of moving beyond short-term cost containment toward strategies that support resilient health systems. Key topics included the potential of AI in healthcare, digital health innovations, public-private partnerships, and equity-focused financing models.

Urban Health: Chaired by Dr. Sushil Vimal, Deputy Commissioner, NUHM, MoHFW, and moderated by Dr. Sudha Chandrashekhar, Advisor, HSTP, the session served as a platform to discuss integrated, equitable and sustainable approaches to urban health amidst rapid urbanization and systemic disparities.

Human Resources for Health: Among the core themes was the strengthening of HRH — an area central to achieving Universal Health Coverage. In this context, HSTP conducted a high-impact session on “Building Competencies of the In-Service Primary Healthcare Workforce.” The discussion illuminated the multi-sectoral collaboration needed for systemic HRH reform and the need for collaborative reform in health workforce development.

Urban Health: Strengthening emergency care services in Madhya Pradesh. This initiative brought together about 40 healthcare professionals from 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh with a shared goal of strengthening and establishing a more integrated emergency care system.

Human Resources for Health: In-service Community Health Officers (CHOs) are vital in delivering primary healthcare services in India, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Human Resources for Health: Aligning competencies to deliver comprehensive primary care services at primary health care facilities is paramount.

Urban Health: Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have emerged as a vital component of community-driven healthcare initiatives, empowering marginalized communities to take charge of their well-being.

Health Financing and Planning: Multimorbidity is associated with significant out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPE) and catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), especially in low- and middle-income countries like India.

Health Financing and Planning: Low- and middle-income countries are undergoing epidemiological and demographic transitions alongside economic growth, contributing to a rise in abdominal obesity.