In the first major all-India gathering of health activists since the COVID-19 pandemic, during December 11-12, 2025 over 550 community organisers, health workers, social activists and experts from 23 states across the country gathered in Delhi for the National Convention on Health Rights. As an organiser as well as participant-observer in this convention, moving through the vibrant deliberations I surmised that while governments might have failed to draw lessons from the COVID catastrophe, health activists have clearly understood what needs to change. This vision coupled with the remarkable energy evident during the convention, carries the potential to transform healthcare for every Indian. This national event organised by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA or People’s Health Movement, India) marked 25 years of founding of the network towards ensuring the right to health for all.Resisting privatisation, moving beyond commercial ‘scheming’The opening plenary featured six national speakers drawn from public health and social movement backgrounds, who sketched the broader contours and challenges influencing people’s access to healthcare in India today. Subsequently one of the most striking sessions focused on popular resistance to health sector privatisation. From tribal communities in Vyara, Gujarat, who organised a 60-day dharna to protect their district hospital, to citizens of Mumbai resisting corporatisation of six municipal hospitals, and large movements in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh opposing takeover of district hospitals and public medical colleges under Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs), resistance was visible. The concerns are similar: shrinking access to free care, deterioration in service quality and erosion of public accountability. The positive experience of the mass movement in Ranchi, which halted a World Bank–backed plan to privatise the district hospital, demonstrated that sustained popular mobilisation can successfully defend core public health institutions.During another insightful discussion on healthcare financing, participants debunked official claims around high-profile health insurance schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), arguing that these channel substantial public resources to private hospitals, while households continue to face unacceptably high out-of-pocket health expenditures. The discussion underlined the urgency of moving away from insurance-driven models, towards a substantial increase in direct government funding for public health services.Also read: A Rural Surgeon’s Struggle With Ayushman Bharat’s PromisesUpgrading public services, justice for health workersThe deliberations on strengthening public health systems highlighted community-oriented assemblies promoting service improvements in Tamil Nadu, the contentious trajectory of the Rajasthan Right to Healthcare Act, Kerala’s exemplary experience of upgrading primary healthcare, and spontaneous resistance to weakened health services in Uttarakhand. The session called for a decisive shift towards adequately funded, decentralised public health systems, revitalisation of the National Health Mission, and a legally enforceable Right to Healthcare with clear accountability.The convention brought centre-stage the imperative of ensuring justice for health workers, who form the heart of health systems. Leaders of the Abhaya Manch movement pointed to continued official inaction after the rape and murder at the R.G. Kar Medical College, linked with unsafe workplaces, gender oppression and suppression of popular movements. Resident doctor activists described their chronic overwork, understaffing and insecure conditions, while ASHA workers’ representatives spoke of their life-saving role during COVID, yet denial of regular employment, low pay and excessive workloads. A Health Workers’ Charter was presented, integrating core demands across cadres – secure employment, fair wages, safety, rationalised workload and dignity –affirming that a system which devalues its workers cannot deliver healthcare with value.Regulating private hospitals, ensuring access to medicinesThe thought-provoking dialogue on regulation of private healthcare opened with harrowing accounts of patients facing gross negligence in commercial hospitals. Legal experts noted that although the Clinical Establishments Act was enacted 15 years ago, implementation of basic standardisation of rates and quality remains paralysed by commercial lobbying. The Patients’ Rights Charter notified in 2021 remains without implementation, while patients routinely face violations such as detention of dead bodies. Activists from Maharashtra shared how during COVID citizens’ groups compelled private hospitals to refund excess charges, and now patient rights committees are pressing for mandatory display of rates and grievance redressal mechanisms. JSA also reported on its ongoing public interest litigation in the Supreme Court, seeking nationwide enforcement of regulation and patients’ rights.In the session on access to medicines, participants highlighted that over 80% of formulations remain outside price control, driving unaffordable prices. State experiences from Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu showed that free medicines programmes with robust public procurement can dramatically expand access. Patient groups working on HIV, rare diseases and cancer described how patent barriers block life-saving treatments. The emerging demands were for universal free provision of essential medicines, comprehensive price regulation, and a people-centred pharmaceutical policy.Overcoming discrimination, addressing social determinantsThe vibrantly participatory discussion on gender and social justice in health discussed how women, LGBTQ+ persons, Muslims, people with disabilities and older persons routinely face discrimination and exclusion in health services. The discussion highlighted the persistence of non-consensual medical procedures like hysterectomies, neglect of women’s health needs, the need to address linkages between ageing and health, and the importance of recognising queer and trans communities as rights-bearing healthcare users. During the comprehensive session on social determinants of health, discussions expanded to analyse food security and nutrition, heat waves, water and sanitation, air pollution, disasters and climate change. Participants stressed the importance of tackling the environmental crisis, challenges faced by coastal populations, heat-stressed cities, and food insecure communities while promoting comprehensive public systems. Blueprint for a healthy IndiaPotentially one of the most impactful parts of the programme was the dialogue with six Members of Parliament from across parties, where JSA presented a 10-point action plan on transformation of health systems. Positive responses from participating MPs, and supportive messages from senior leaders in parliament reflected political traction for these ideas.Action plan on right to healthEnshrine healthcare as a legally enforceable right, while addressing gender and social inequities,Dramatically increase public health financing and minimise out-of-pocket expenses,Revitalise and expand public health services including the National Health Mission, Adopt a national policy to secure fair employment and dignity for all health workers,Halt privatisation of public health assets,Regulate the private healthcare sector with protection of patient rights,Guarantee access to free medicines in public services,Reform drug policies to ensure affordability and availability,Phase out commercial health insurance, develop public-centred universal healthcare, andIntegrate food security, environmental health, and climate justice into health planning. The energy of hundreds of participants from across India was powerfully expressed through resonant songs, street plays and periodic slogans, while teamwork by the twenty diverse networks which constitute JSA was evident throughout the event. As the convention came to a close, veteran health activists who had started the journey of JSA together in 2000 collectively released the ‘Global Health Watch 7,’ symbolising 25 years of commitment and global solidarity. The event concluded with adoption of the ‘People’s Resolution on Health’ proposing a forward-looking agenda, linking advancement of public health to democracy, justice and social welfare. The enthusiasm unleashed by this assembly was sufficient to ignite collective hope. The main slogan rang through – “health is our right, and healthcare for people, not for profit!”Abhay Shukla is a public health physician and national co-convenor of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan. He gratefully acknowledges the contribution of ideas by numerous colleagues in JSA, which are reflected in this article.