Review Article
Year: 2019 | Month: March | Volume: 9 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 299-305
Tribal Health in India: A Need For a Comprehensive Health Policy
Dandub Palzor Negi1, Dr. Monica Munjial Singh2
1Research Scholar, Centre for Social Work, Punjab University, Chandigarh.
2Associate Professor, Centre for Social Work, Punjab University, Chandigarh.
Corresponding Author: Dandub Palzor Negi
ABSTRACT
Health is an important determinant of the well-being of any community. Health is considered one of the essential elements of human development and progress. India has the second largest tribal population in the world. Tribal populations are one of the most socio-economically deprived sections. Because of its vulnerability and deprived condition, tribal population faces a lot of problems of varied aspects in which health is one of the significant issues that makes them more vulnerable and deprived. Tribal health is in the state of continuous debate and deliberation over a period of time. Tribal population in the country is one of the most vulnerable and marginalized section and has been in the continuous state of ignorance and negligence. The socioeconomic condition along with poor health and sanitation condition makes it more vulnerable and susceptible to disaster and change. The present paper is an attempt to highlight the various dimensions of the tribal health and health care facilities available in the tribal areas of the country. This paper is also an attempt to discuss the need for comprehensive health policy to meet the health requirement for the indigenous population of the country. It is felt that there should be a comprehensive and national level health policy to mitigate the problems of health among the tribal population. It is need of the hour to have a comprehensive national policy on tribal health to address the issues related to health and its correlates in the country.
Key words: Tribal Health, Vulnerability, Comprehensive, Health Policy, Well-Being