Foreign Private Equity in Indian Healthcare: Rethinking PPP Models for Equity, Access, And Sustainability

ABSTRACT Foreign private equity now in controls around 70 per cent of India’s leading private hospital chains, a recent trend enabled by policies permitting 100 per cent FDI under the automatic route, which has triggered significant structural realignment within the hospital sector and raises critical questions for public health governance. The question that this paper will address is whether the current Public Private Partnership (PPP) architecture in India can provide affordability, fair access and long-term sustainability in service delivery where the offshore investors whose interests are largely financial are mediating service delivery. The main conflict is in balancing profit making interests with the sovereign welfare responsibilities of the State, a tussle that the current frameworks might not be in a good position to balance effectively. Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment, Foreign Private Equity, Indian Healthcare, Public Private Partnership, Right to Health.