Public Health, Right to Health and Health Care

Sama believes that health care services must be available, affordable, and accessible to all as a matter of right, including to the socially and economically marginalized. The dismal state of public health in the country along with the rapid proliferation of the unregulated private sector has been a continuing concern. Today the increasing privatization of health care systems and the transformation of comprehensive health care into mere commodities is taking place in a context where there is acute inadequacy of primary health care facilities. For the vast majority of the population, this translates into increased indebtedness and further exacerbation of poverty. The impact of these factors is more severe on women due to their social, economic and psychological burdens.

Sama has been working towards the campaign for the right to health and healthcare through research and advocacy, and through larger groups and coalitions.


Interrogating Sickle Cell Disease as a Public Health and Reproductive Justice Issue

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To deliberate on some critical issues on sickle cell disease (SCD), Sama organised a one-day round table on July 2, 2024, in Delhi to share observations from its field visits to Chhattisgarh for guidance on its future work on SCD. The round table, titled “Interrogating Sickle Cell Disease as a Public Health and Reproductive Justice Issue,” brought together doctors, health policy contributors, feminists, academics, and disability and public health activists to examine SCD from the perspective of patient rights and as a feminist public health issue through the lenses of reproductive justice and disability justice. Continue reading