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Health Inequalities—An Embodiment of Caste-Based Inequalities

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Mapping Identity-Induced Marginalisation in India

Abstract

Identity-induced marginalization has been important feature of Indian society. The identity-based marginalization leading to exclusion of significant sections of population from different social, economic and political spheres of life has been documented time and again across length and breadth of the country. The exclusion from and discrimination in socio-economic and political spheres of life has been so deeply entrenched that it has embodied itself and get reflected in the bodies of the excluded and discriminated communities. The health status indicators show the differential health status experienced by different social identity groups. Mortality, nutritional status and morbidity indicators from different all-India-level data sets, collected by different government agencies at different points of time, clearly indicate that the health status is reflective of socio-economic inequalities in the country. The state apparatus has failed to do justice, even after 70 years of freedom, to the marginalized and discriminated identity groups especially scheduled castes, Scheduled Tribes and Muslims. The data shows exclusion and differential access to healthcare services provided for these marginalized social groups. The nationally representative data sources like NSSO, 64th and 71st round, NFHS 1–4 rounds, NNMB surveys, DLHS survey, NHP report, National Health Accounts data have been analysed to show the health status inequalities and in-equal access and utilization of state-run health services and health-related schemes.

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  1. Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India

    Prachinkumar Ghodajkar & Krishna Kumar Choudhary

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  1. Prachinkumar Ghodajkar
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Correspondence to Prachinkumar Ghodajkar .

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  1. School of Life Sciences (superannuated), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India

    Raosaheb K Kale

  2. Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Sanghmitra S Acharya

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Ghodajkar, P., Choudhary, K.K. (2022). Health Inequalities—An Embodiment of Caste-Based Inequalities. In: Kale, R.K., Acharya, S.S. (eds) Mapping Identity-Induced Marginalisation in India . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3128-4_21

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