Tribal staff to take healthcare to their own communities

Given the low utilisation of healthcare facilities among forest-based tribal groups, the Tribal Welfare Department will launch a pilot project that will deploy health workers from the communities themselves to improve access.

The 'Tribal Health Navigator model scheme' is targeted at seven lakh people spread across 12 tribes, including the Jenu Kurubas and Koragas classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG).

According to the department, non-communicable diseases and substance use among these groups have been rising, and their lifespan has been reducing.

The three-year pilot will be implemented in five districts with high populations of these groups -- Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. It was launched in Chamarajanagar last month, and is expected to start in the other districts in another month, says Siddalinga Swamy, office superintendent at the department.

Under the scheme, a taluk adivasi health worker with ANM or GNM qualification will be appointed in taluks with high populations of the communities. A community member with at least a bachelor's degree will be appointed as district coordinator, who will accept calls on a helpline number.

Taluk health workers build linkages with tribal hamlets and arrange documents such as BPL, Aadhaar and ABHA cards that are needed for healthcare access. They also take patients to health facilities, ensure dignified care, arrange follow-ups, etc. The district coordinator does the same at district hospitals. All 17 staffers across the five districts will get a monthly honorarium of Rs 15,000 each.

So far, around 150 adivasis from Chamarajanagar have benefited from the scheme, says Praveen Rao of the non-profit Institute of Public Health (IPH) which is training health workers under an MoU with the department.

According to IPH's research, lack of trust in the healthcare system, out-of-pocket expenses, lack of transport facilities and difficulty navigating the hospital system have been deterring adivasis from accessing care.

Swamy says that most communities prefer modern medicine, having seen the limitations of traditional medicine. "Only a few like Hakki Pikki, Siddi and some Jenu Kurubas practise traditional medicine now."

The Rs 7.8-crore project also has provisions to build dharmashalas in nine major hospitals where patients can stay during their visit. Also, a tribal health cell will be set up in medical colleges.