About the Talk

The lecture will deal with the challenges of establishing health care as a fundamental right in India, and the challenges involved from constitutional, legal and health systems perspectives. It will also unpack the challenges entailed in the interface of the constitutional governance, legal and health systems.

About the Speaker

E. Premdas Pinto, Director- Research and Advocacy at Centre for Health and Social Justice, is a Human Rights lawyer and Public Health scholar-activist, engaged in processes and social justice issues of the marginalized communities in India for the last 25 years. (www.chsj.org)  His current engagements include social accountability and health rights with a special focus on processes of participatory community monitoring of health services in India, and coordination of the global secretariat for COPASAH (www.copasah.net) which focuses on community centred social accountability practices in health in the global south. He is one of the co-initiators and presently the mentor of Jagrutha Mahila Sanghatan, the union of Dalit Women agricultural labourers in Raichur district, Karnataka-India (www.jmschiguru.wordpress.com) His writings have covered the areas of political economy of health, public health and ethics, and health policy and law. His interdisciplinary doctoral research work is on ‘health care jurisprudence’ and included an analysis of the intersectionality of public health, human rights, and legal frameworks. His academic qualifications include masters in social work, masters in law, post-graduate diploma in human rights law and a PhD* in public health care and law. (Submitted, awaiting award).  He is engaged with several national and local social mobilisations for dignity, justice, and rights that includes People’s Health Movement, Scavengers’ Dignity Forum, Karnataka Janaarogya Chaluvali and National Alliance of People’s Movements.