Doha Round Sectoral Negotiations: A Study on Health-care Sector in India*

Rajat Verma, Murali Kallummal and Poornima Varma

Foreign Trade Review, 2013, vol. 48, issue 3, 399-411

Abstract: This article is an attempt to analyze the need for negotiations (if any) for India, in the sector of ‘Enhanced Healthcare’ which is one of the 14 sectors in the Sectoral Negotiations (a component of Non Agricultural Market Access) of the ongoing Doha round. This is done by looking at various components of the Doha Round Sectoral Proposals specifically from India’s context. We have compared India’s competitiveness with the four countries, i.e., US; Singapore; Switzerland and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, which have proposed 25 product categories (i.e., 25 chapters in HS nomenclature) in this sector for free trade and hence are called as ‘the proponents’ of this sector. We have used two trade indicators, growth rate of exports and revealed comparative advantage, for analyzing the India’s relative competitiveness. Both the trade indicators show that India does have a comparative cost advantage to be one of key players in this sector. However, this opportunity has to be reaped judiciously by Indian government so as to make best use. Also, at same time the need of the hour is that the government should invest in this sector so as to meet the basic international standards and thereby helping not only the Indian populace but also the industry as a whole.

Keywords: WTO; NAMA; sectoral proposals; healthcare sectoral; revealed comparative advantage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F13 F14 L88 L89 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:fortra:v:48:y:2013:i:3:p:399-411

DOI: 10.1177/0015732513496621

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