Editor's pick of the day: Medical journal Lancet lauds PM Modi's 'Ayushman Bharat' programme

In August 2014, The Lancet – perhaps the world’s best-known medical journal – had published “An Open Letter for the People of Gaza,” criticising Israel in the wake of the 2014 Gaza conflict. Richard Horton, the editor-in-chief of the journal since 1995, had taken a lot of heat, with Sir Mark Pepys, ex-Head of Medicine at University College London saying, “Horton’s behaviour in this case is consistent with his longstanding and wholly inappropriate use of The Lancet as a vehicle for his own extreme political views.

It has greatly detracted from the former high standing of the journal.” Richard Horton had responded then with a telling rebuttal: “How can you separate politics and health? The two go hand-in-hand.” Horton, it appears, truly stands by that line, as he has inserted his fingers into the most bountiful political pie of all – the Indian General Elections.

In an editorial Comment on the Lancet, published on the 11th of September, the editor of a medical journal – journals whose editorial slants strive hard to be non-partisan, and indeed, are expected to be thus – appears to have done what could be considered egregious: he has written a stump speech for PM Modi ahead of 2019, saying Modi is the first prime minister of India to have prioritised universal health coverage as part of his political platform under the 'Ayushman Bharat' programme, while also saying Rahul Gandhi has yet to match the prime minister’s “Modicare” in terms of his own party’s health offerings to the people of India.

This political opinion in a medical journal is the subject of our Story of the Day.