Navigating Health Governance: Public Policies and Everyday Healthcare Practices In Kerala

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Discussion on public policy and governance has become significant in the health sector. Every developmental agenda suggests health policies and initiatives to ensure an inclusive growth in society. Kerala, in this context, has been recognised as a state with an advanced health sector, high literacy and institutionalised care. This paper aims to understand the governance and public health policies in Kerala and to critically examine how people perceive the state’s interventions in their everyday health behaviour. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, with primary data collected from two heterogeneous districts in the state. Household surveys, focus group discussions, and stakeholder interviews were conducted in a post-pandemic context. The post-pandemic scenario has changed people’s health behaviour drastically.  Drawing on the concepts of risk, social constructions, and habitus in a sociological context, this study analyses changing trends in public health policy among people and their potential to challenge the existing system. The study’s findings suggest that people face problems with health policies regarding vaccination, welfare schemes, and institutionalised care. The study also highlights the role of health workers in implementing public policies and how the public receives these policies. This study is relevant because it goes beyond numerical datasets to reveal people’s lived experiences, which are essential to the sustainability of every policy.