Why no disaggregated data on tribal populations, asks House panel

Source: The post is based on the article “Why no disaggregated data on tribal populations, asks House panel”  published in The Hindu on 9th August 2023.

What is the News?

A parliamentary committee on the empowerment of women has submitted a report on Health conditions of the Tribal population.

What did the Parliamentary committee said on the health conditions of Tribal Population?

In tribal areas, there’s a growing occurrence of genetic issues like sickle cell disease and G6PD (Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency) deficiency.

Around 1.5 crore tribal individuals were tested for sickle cell disease in specific districts, revealing that 10.5 lakh people are carriers of the condition, and about 50,000 have been diagnosed with the disease.

Over half of tribal women in their reproductive years suffer from anemia. 

Hypertension is also quite common among tribals along with a higher rate of communicable diseases such as leprosy, tuberculosis, and cholera when compared to other social groups.

What are the concerns raised by the Parliamentary committee?

Parliamentary committee has pulled up the Union government for lacking detailed health data about tribal populations. 

The committee found it puzzling how the Ministries could create effective policies or action plans for the health of tribal mothers and infants without accurate maternal mortality ratio data. 

On this, the Tribal Affairs Ministry informed the committee that they were working on establishing a central database for monitoring tribal health and had partnered with a non-profit organization, Piramal Swasthya to gather data for 117 tribal districts.

What are the recommendations given by the Parliamentary committee on tribal health?

Firstly, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs should work with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to generate tribal health data with separate classifications like girl children, adolescent girls, women of various age groups and women senior citizens to help in evolving custom-made health interventions.’

Secondly, community influencer groups and tribal leaders must also be engaged to instill behavioral changes among the tribal community for better health and nutrition outcomes. 

Thirdly, the government should complete the screening of all tribals for sickle cell disease in a time-bound manner so that the next generation of the tribal people are free from this disease. 

Fourthly, make use of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in coordination with the Ministry of Rural Development for building all-weather roads in tribal areas so that the tribal population, including pregnant women, can access healthcare facilities in time.