HEALTH JUSTICE IN INDIA: Citizenship, Power and Health Care Jurisprudence

This powerful and timely book by Edward Premdas Pinto offers an interdisciplinary lens on public healthcare in India, exploring how the dynamics of power among the state, legal and medical institutions, and civil society define the outcomes of health justice for Indian citizens. Drawing upon rich empirical research, legal analysis, and public health scholarship, the author unpacks the idea of healthcare jurisprudence and its transformation into a broader, more inclusive concept of health justice.

Pinto presents the “health justice triad”—the judiciary, the legal-medical establishment, and civil society—as central players in reshaping access to justice in healthcare. He critically evaluates the role of civil society in challenging dominant power structures and supporting marginalized communities in their struggle for healthcare rights.

Key chapters discuss:

• Citizenship and its relation to healthcare as a social right

• A comprehensive overview of India’s healthcare jurisprudence

• Procedural and substantive justice within the health system

• The complex power relationships between state authorities, health professionals, and advocacy groups

This book reframes healthcare as an issue of social citizenship and justice, offering actionable insights for transforming public health law and policy. It is an essential read for students, academics, policy makers, healthcare practitioners, and civil rights advocates interested in the future of healthcare justice in India and beyond.