Access to Healthcare Services by Marginalized Castes in Rural India—Approaching Inequity Using a Critical Caste Theoretical Framework

Abstract

The social construct of ‘caste’ traces its origins back to Vedic literature in the second millennium, establishing a system where higher castes possess social, economic, political and religious authority, while lower castes are left to endure a semblance of sympathy through millennia. The notion of caste remains a topic of debate and continues to generate nuanced discourses within contemporary Indian society. This conceptual article aims to develop and establish critical caste theory (CCT) as a theoretical framework to corroborate the manifold manifestations of discriminatory practices often endured by marginalized castes within the intricacies of various Indian institutions, especially healthcare institutions. By advancing the argument for CCT and its applicability as a theoretical framework, this article seeks to acknowledge the historical injustices towards lower castes, particularly in relation to their access to fundamental rights to healthcare in India.