One of the focus areas of the CPHC Alliance is to create a circle of practitioners in CPHC and strengthen the capacities of partners to develop and implement CPHC solutions. Accordingly, in connection with the Universal Health Coverage Day, the Alliance organized a virtual ‘Meet the Expert’ session on Friday, 9 December, 2022, as the first in a proposed series, featuring Mr. Rajeev Sadanandan, CEO, Health Systems Transformation Platform (HSTP). HSTP has pioneered PRI reforms in Kerala and has immense experience in dealing with the intractable challenge of strengthening PRI participation in health. Through the ‘Meet the Experts’ forum, the Alliance’s intent is to connect partners to experts to collaborate and leverage their respective areas of expertise towards solving intractable problems in public health and nutrition. The event was attended by 85 participants (Ref. Annexure II).

The event was opened by Ms. Ranjani Gopinath (A senior public health specialist of the catalyst group on the behalf of Swasti) with an overview of the CPHC Alliance and the journey so far. She further highlighted the importance of primary health care during COVID-19 pandemic and the paradigm shift from primary health care to comprehensive primary healthcare (CPHC) through Ayushman Bharat- Health and wellness centers. Ranjani further introduced first in the event series Rajeev Sadanandan and invited him to share his point of view, experience, and expertise. Rajeev touched upon the issues of relationships between PRIs and primary health care. He further talked about the role of the Panchayati Raj given in the 73rd and 74th amendment of constitution that all the public health and rural institutions are to be managed by the local government. Considering the fact, in 1996 kerala adopted this strategy and handed over the management of all public health institutions from the sub-center to district hospital to the Panchayati Raj institutions. He stressed upon 4 major points regarding the role of PRIs in the public health: 1. Efficiency- The health care system in the lower and middle-income countries uses high-level decentralization at various levels for example- Brazil, China, etc. to see how essential public health is provided better when the management is transferred. 2. Economic and socio-environment determinants of health (like sanitation, waste management, urban planning, housing etc). These determinants lie outside the purview of the health department and the primary health care. He further stressed upon bringing a system together and creating the convergence between the determinants of health and delivery of healthcare services to improve the quality and health outcomes. 3. Demand generation (asset of bureaucratic organization at the local level- ANMs and ASHA or govt. organized system) can mobilize the community. He further talked about