Escaping the shadows of globalization : health in the hands of people (a model drawn from experiences in South India)

A renewed effort to bring health into the hands of people is taking place across the world in response to discontents with the privatized health care. Health Care practiced as a universal right, primarily focused on localized education and prevention, consistently proves to be a more effective alternative to a privatized curative based health system. With such a notion in mind, this capstone looks at the elements necessary to acheive a sustainable health care model integrating Ayurveda, Allopathy, Homeopathy faced with growing market pressure, increasing costs, and daunting disparities in capitalist India? In an attempt to create a holistic model of educational and preventive based health care, the Rangaloka Health Center, in rural Bagalore, India, is used as a case study. Through clinical observation, patient treatment, community-based health initiatives and educational campaigns, this study will attempt to illustrate the initial steps in creating such a model. Unique to this model is the combination of a collective participatory process and an efficient integration of available medicine (Ayurveda, Allopathy, and Homeopathy) and resources. In creating such a health care system, sustainablility permeates all action as participants become more aware and understanding of the decisions involved in their collective well-being. More importantly, the shared will and determination of people to realize the universal right and responsibility of health is the foundation for a new global health model.