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<p>The rapid shift towards the virtualization of care in India, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has transformed not only how care is delivered but how it is valued. In a context of underfunded public health infrastructure and deep social inequality, virtualization of care risks reproducing existing hierarchies of class, caste, gender, and digital access. Drawing on three theoretical frameworks of feminist political economy, Judith Butler’s concept of grievability, (2009) and the capability approach, this article examines how digital mediation can affect relational care while shifting responsibility for care from the state onto individuals and families. Particular attention is paid to youth engagement and the growing invisibility of mental distress within platform-based models of care. The article argues that digital innovation must be anchored in a rights-based public health framework that centres equity, accountability, and trust rather than the logic of market profitability alone.</p>

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Virtualization of Care: Ethics, Inequality, and the Digital Turn in India’s Health Infrastructure

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月13日

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  • Lakshita Bhagat,
  • Devika Sharma,
  • Saket Sharma

摘要

The rapid shift towards the virtualization of care in India, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has transformed not only how care is delivered but how it is valued. In a context of underfunded public health infrastructure and deep social inequality, virtualization of care risks reproducing existing hierarchies of class, caste, gender, and digital access. Drawing on three theoretical frameworks of feminist political economy, Judith Butler’s concept of grievability, (2009) and the capability approach, this article examines how digital mediation can affect relational care while shifting responsibility for care from the state onto individuals and families. Particular attention is paid to youth engagement and the growing invisibility of mental distress within platform-based models of care. The article argues that digital innovation must be anchored in a rights-based public health framework that centres equity, accountability, and trust rather than the logic of market profitability alone.