ABSTRACT
Through examining the Indian health and healthcare sector from a political economy perspective, this chapter describes the tensions and contradictions that have arisen with regard to (occupational) health and the performance of the healthcare sector in terms of delivery, access, quality, and equality from a historical perspective. It explains how global neoliberalism has affected the role of the state in healthcare provisioning, and to what extent this has led to a divergence away from historically and culturally entrenched institutions in favor of those operating according to a more neoliberal orientation. Ultimately, it discusses the key political-economic processes – both domestic and global – that have shaped healthcare in India in recent decades, as well as the central ideas, interests, and institutions that have informed this trajectory.
