Enveloped Lives: Caring and Relating in Lithuanian Health Care

Handing envelopes containing money or gifts to doctors in public health care is a remnant of socialism that continues as an integral part of the Lithuanian health care system. Rima Praspaliauskiene's book "Enveloped Lives" explores complex doctor-patient interactions that go beyond notions of the gift or the bribe, reshaping our definition of corruption and encouraging us to see these practices as emerging forms of care that impede neoliberal health care reforms.

Format: Hardback
Length: 162 pages
Publication date: 25 October 2022
Publisher: Cornell University Press

The practice of handing envelopes containing money or gifts to doctors in public health care is often perceived as a lingering vestige of socialism that remains an integral component of the Lithuanian healthcare system. Rima Praspaliauskiene employs the envelope as a means to delve into intricate doctor-patient interactions that transcend simplistic notions of the gift or the bribe. By challenging our predefined notions of corruption, she prompts us to view these practices as emerging manifestations of care that impede the neoliberal healthcare reforms implemented in the post-Soviet era.

Enveloped Lives: Exploring Complex Doctor-Patient Interactions extends the analytical frameworks of gift, care, money, and transparency, redirecting attention away from mere material transactions and emphasizing the relational dynamics and practices that transcend economic rationality. In a time when healthcare reforms and the associated costs are being extensively deliberated, this book makes a valuable contribution to the broader discourse on the ethics and future of healthcare across the globe.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501765469