Litigating the right to heath in India: Can litigation fix a health system in crisis?

Abstract

There is a healthcare crisis in India. Health indicators are dismal. 25% of the world’s maternal deaths every year, occur in India. 47% of all children in India are underweight. Health rights litigation has highlighted areas of dire need and provided a discursive space for petitioners and civil society groups to engage with government on health policy issues. Yet, it has failed to improve the persistent systemic failures that plague the Indian health system and make access to health care inequitable.