Health Policies and Health Care in the Context of Neoliberal Globalisation

Abstract

This chapter examines what has happened since the late 1970s in the struggle for accessible and affordable health care for all, within the context of neoliberal globalisation. The health care reform that was promoted by the evolving global health governance structure, as a subset of conservative neoliberal economic policies, gave rise to the privatisation and commercialisation of health care—from Health for All to health care that people could afford. While there has been some progress in some health outcomes in some countries, others have been left behind, particularly the least developed regions of the world, where extreme inequalities have been worsened by neoliberal globalisation. In October 2018, world leaders met in Astana, Kazakhstan, to renew a commitment to Primary Health Care as a ‘cornerstone’ to achieving universal health care. An alternative statement to the Astana Declaration was put forward by health activists, reaffirming civil society’s commitment to Comprehensive Primary Health Care in pursuit of health and well-being for all and to achieve equity in health outcomes globally and nationally.