Implications of Poverty, Inequalities and Trade Liberalization for Access to Health Technologies: An Evaluation of India’s Legislative Response

The Global Wealth Report 2016 stated that India is the second most unequal country in income inequality parameters. In January 2017, Oxfam’s annual policy brief pointed out that 1% of Indians own 58% of total wealth in the country. It is estimated that 57 individuals in India have the same amount of wealth as the bottom 70% of the population. This gross inequality in wealth is arguably a contributing factor to widespread poverty in India. According to the World Bank report ‘Poverty and Shared Prosperity’, India accounts for the largest number of people living below the international poverty line, with 224 million people living under $1.90 a day. In this context, this paper seeks to address the following main issues: What are the implications of poverty and gross inequalities (in wealth and income) for access to health technologies in India? What is the impact of neoliberal globalization and trade liberalization on access to health technologies in India? What is India’s response (in terms of intellectual property law and policy) to address public health challenges caused by the socio-economic issue of poverty/ income inequality and neoliberal globalization? To what extent India’s legislative and policy measures are likely to achieve their desired objectives? What can other developing countries learn from India in relation to their anti-poverty efforts and pro-people legislative and policy measures?