NEGOTIATING HIERARCHY: A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE ON ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES IN HEALTHCARE

Although English is widely regarded as the medium of communication in India's hospitality and tourism sectors, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has been largely overlooked in academic or occupational spaces. Despite facing an unprecedented shortage of healthcare workers following a new wave of mass migration, India is one of the top favored destinations for medical tourism worldwide. The present paper aims to critically explore and comprehensively understand the linguistic needs of nurses in the state of Kerala, India. Additionally, the paper investigates the impact of India's migration patterns on the use and changing perception of English in healthcare settings. It considers how these factors influence the role of language within the medical context and the lives of nurses. Critical analyses reveal the prevalence of generalized language training and inconsistencies in the perception of needs between two levels of stakeholders. This qualitative inquiry magnifies the transformative potency of the English language in conferring agency upon the marginalized nursing demographics within the Indian healthcare milieu. As such, it staunchly champions the imperative formulation and execution of a meticulously customized ESP program, serving as an instrumental catalyst for engendering empowerment and emancipation.