Neoliberalism and Healthcare in South Asia:

A Talk by Susana Barria


Shaped by interventions of international financial institutions, the healthcare sector in South Asian countries has seen significant restructuring with an increase in private sector participation in provisioning. In Nepal and India these reforms have led to cost cutting measures by the government that opened the space for the growth of the private sector. This has had an impact on quality of services; has led to a rise in out of pocket expenditure of patients; as well as fuelled rampant informalisation of the labour force employed in the public healthcare sector. In Sri Lanka, the impacts have been milder, though on similar lines. The discussion will explore the linkages between neoliberal reforms and informalisation of employment; explore the trends in employment patterns in these three countries; as well as look into some of the union responses to this growing phenomenon.







Date: 22nd September, 2016

Venue: WERC Auditorium, 58, Dharmarama Road, Colombo 06

RSVP: info@ssalanka.org or +94112501339

Susana Barria works with the international federation of trade unions Public Services International, in New Delhi. Her current focus is on the conditions of workers in the healthcare sector and its impacts on provision of quality services to all; as well as the impacts of trade and investment agreements on public services.