Health Mission to aid tribals

The state government for the first came out with a Tribal Health Mission to improve the medical facilities and prevent all kinds of diseases in the tribal areas in the state and improve the health situation in the tribal areas in the state.

Efforts are being made to preparing a comprehensive health plan for tribals with line with departments like Panchaytraj, Medical and Health, RWS, Tribal welfare and ICDS to create better living conditions in the tribal areas.

Principal secretary for health, Suresh Chadda has been reviewing with the DMHOs about the health situation in the districts and available medical facilities in ten districts for the last two days.        

The state government also constituted cabinet sub-committee on tribal health to look after the issues pertaining to tribals. State government has taken serious note of recent epidemic and large number of Adivasi deaths in tribal areas of Adilabad and came out with a comprehensive plan to prevent diseases.

Existing hospitals would be upgraded 30 bedded hospitals all the tribal areas to improve the medical facilities and banks will be set up, recruit the doctors and paramedical staff and emergency medicines will be made available and incentives would be given to the doctors working in the tribal areas.

Treatment centres for Thalassemia Sickle cell which was a genetic disease will be established in the tribal areas following the high number of cases reported in tribal areas in Adilabad , Khammam and Warangal districts in the state.

Specialist doctors like pediatricians and gynecology will be recruited at the community health centres and existing nutritional food centres meant for anemic patients and pregnant women, lactating women and new born babies suffering from low hemoglobin percent.

Focus will be lay on providing safe drinking water to the tribal habitation, sanitation, giving nutritional good through ICDS, creating infrastructure at hospitals as part of Tribal health mission.

A senior medical officer working in the tribal areas said plans under Tribal Health Mission should be implemented affectively unlike in the past and more focus on sanitation, safe drinking water and giving nutritious good and treatment part comes later and added that prevention is better than cure.