Tribal Health in India
In India, tribal people make up 8.9% of the total population, yet they continue to be the most underserved and ignored group in terms of access to healthcare.

In tribal communities, newborn mortality is 63% higher than the national average, according to a study by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and the death rate is 44% higher.
This demonstrates the essential need to empower native communities and guarantee them fair access to healthcare.
Their problems are complex and include things like a lack of money, medical staff, infrastructure, connection, cost, and a variety of other things.

The “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups” (PVTGs), often referred to as the “Primitive Tribes,” comprise around 2.6 million (2.5%) of the total population of Schedule Tribes and are the most underprivileged of all Schedule Tribe populations.

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They are dispersed over several states but are more prevalent in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan states.

In India, tribal groups deal with a variety of difficulties and disadvantages related to poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, health, employment, infrastructure, and human rights.

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Indicators of human development including income, education, health, sanitization, and gender equality show that they trail behind the national average in these areas.
Additionally, non-tribal individuals and institutions abuse them via violence, exploitation, relocation, and prejudice. The possibilities and resources available to them for empowerment and involvement are scarce.​

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Challenges for Tribal Health care
Tribal people do not consume enough or the proper kind of food to maintain their health. They struggle with malnutrition, anemia, stunting, wasting, and hunger.
Due to several conditions, including inadequate sanitation and hygiene, and limited access to healthcare, tribal people are more susceptible to contracting communicable diseases such as malaria, Tuberculosis, leprosy, HIV/AIDS, diarrhea, respiratory infections, and diseases carried by insects or animals.
People from tribal groups are also susceptible to developing chronic illnesses including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and mental problems.
Genetic diseases like sickle cell anemia are also prevalent among the tribal population.
Compared to 56% and 30% of non-tribal males, more than 72% of tribal men aged 15 to 54 use cigarettes, and more than 50% drink alcohol.
Most tribals don’t know their age or date of birth which hinders the census of life expectancy for healthcare planning.
Early marriage, early childbirth, low BMI, and high incidence of anemia are critical reasons for high maternal mortality.
Child health indicators for the scheduled tribes are poor and worse than the general population.

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Way forward
There is still a long way to go to improve and bring tribal health in India to par with the general population. Some aspects that can be carefully looked into are:

addressing the discrepancy in indigenous groups’ health-seeking patterns and access to healthcare.
recognizing and appreciating the services that tribal communities’ traditional healers give.
empowering tribal groups to make wise decisions regarding their health through health literacy programs.
putting into practice targeted recruiting and retention tactics to draw medical professionals to tribal areas. And improving connections by making investments in the construction of road networks, transportation infrastructure, and communication networks.

-Article written by Swathi Satish