THE RISE OF PRIVATIZATION IN HEALTH SECTOR: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRIVATE HEALTH CARE AND THE UPPER CLASS


Kamrunnahar Koli
BSS (Hon’s), MSS (DU), Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Dhaka International University, Satarkul, Badda, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh
Abstract
In the past twenty years, the transfer of health care services from public to private ownership has been a topic of significant interest in almost every country worldwide. Privatization and the free-market system have become attractive options for countries dealing with rising healthcare costs, growing dissatisfaction with the effectiveness and quality of care in public health facilities, and limited public resources to support healthcare services. The purpose of the research to explore the relationship between private health care and the upper class. The study identifies the causes of privatization, including globalization, modernization, urbanization, capitalism, neoliberal policy formation, and people's access to it. This study is based on primary data. In order to collect primary data, a comprehensive study questionnaire was designed, including both structured closed-ended and open-ended questions, and data have been collected randomly from ten private hospitals in Madaripur. The research included a sample size of 130 respondents, consisting of 110 patients, 20 nurses, and hospital authorities. The findings conclude that private health care is the outcome of elites’ demand, which is decorated with advanced facilities. In a public hospital, it is impossible for a patient to anticipate a simple pathological or radiological examination. Patients ultimately find themselves compelled to visit private clinics. However, the high cost of these clinics often restricts people's access to them. Aside from this, capitalism has given birth to private ownership and class categorization in society, while neoliberal policy has reduced government control over public expenditure. Market competition, individual responsibility, consumer choice, and lifestyle change have also increased the privatization of health services in Madaripur, as well as in the larger cities of Bangladesh.
Keywords: privatization, health care, globalization, capitalism, public health, neoliberal policy
Journal Name :
EPRA International Journal of Research & Development (IJRD)

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Published on : 2024-07-30

Vol : 9
Issue : 7
Month : July
Year : 2024
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