In this thought-provoking episode, renowned feminist economist Corina Rodríguez Enríquez and international development expert Sue Godt will guide you through an in-depth conversation with public health expert Sulakshana Nandi, author of the case study on the impact on women in India of publicly-funded health insurance private-public partnership schemes, with special reference to Chhattisgarh state.

Sulakshana helps us reflect on the historical and current context that led to the development of health PPPs in India given the intertwining of global agendas around universal health coverage with the neoliberal frameworks and how they play out at national levels.

The author argues how the discourse of strategic purchasing for universal health coverage is highly contested on the role of governments and the road map to achieve the universal health coverage objectives. The experience of the implementation of PPPs not only in India but in many countries of the global South has shown that it only led to further commodification and commercialisation of healthcare and worsened equity in access, weakening public services without being able to regulate the private sector.

We also learn from Sulakshana that social movements are growing stronger and more effective in their campaigns to resist neoliberal and anti-democratic changes, and to advocate for progressive change. What other lessons can we learn from the experience of India?

Join us in this inspiring discussion, a part of DAWN’s multimedia project “Old Dog, New Tricks: Neocolonialism & Public-Private Partnerships in the Global South”, which highlights the effects of PPPs on women’s lives.