BENGALURU: An experts committee on tribal health has sought to correct the inequitable distribution of public health centres (PHCs) to benefit the tribal population in the state. For the first time, the expert committee on tribal health, constituted by the Union health and tribal affairs ministries, submitted a report recommending 2.5 per cent per capita of the GDP to be spent on tribal health and 9.3 per cent of the state budget to be spent on them.
But Dr H Sudarshan of Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra, an NGO which runs a primary health centre for tribal people in BR Hills, Chamarajanagar district, who represented Karnataka in the 12-member committee, said there are no PHCs available for tribes in hilly areas.
The committee has demanded one sub-centre for every 1,000 population and one PHC for every 10,000. In the plains, according to the Indian Public Health Standards, it is one sub-centre for every 5,000 population and one PHC for every 25,000 population. According to the Rural Health statistics 2016, doctor to tribal population is 1:90,000.
“For seven forests, for example, one auxiliary nurse midwife is available in one sub-centre in BR Hills. The nearest centre is in Gubballi, 15 km away. Also, mapping of genuine tribes is required to target them for health benefits and not forward communities,” Dr H Sudarshan said.
“In Karnataka currently, we are spending `200 per person for primary health care from the budgetary allocation. We have ,suggested that `1,300 be spent on the health of one tribal person. Tribal sub-plan money was supposed to be spent on building 13 PHCs in tribal areas but it was built outside tribal areas,” he said.
“We want a separate tribal sub-plan for tribals. State-specific separate nodal officers for tribals, a different model for tribal areas, integrating traditional medicine in primary healthcare, has been suggested by the committee,” Sudarshan said.
“Sickle-cell anaemia is specifically found in tribals and the tribal affairs department forced the health department to give `2 crore for diagnosis and treatment, but it is very poorly implemented.