'Generate category-wise health data for tribal female population', Parl panel tells Centre

New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) The union tribal affairs and health ministries should work in tandem to generate tribal dis-aggregated 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, a Parliamentary panel in its report suggested. 

These will suit the unique healthcare requirements of the tribal people, especially tribal women and girl children, a Parliamentary panel on empowerment of women has recommended this in its report on "Health facilities for tribal women".

This report was presented in Parliament last week.

The committee further felt that community influencer groups and tribal leaders must also be engaged to instill behavioural changes among the tribal community for better health and nutrition outcomes.

Though many of government programmes are focussing on this approach currently, the committee urged upon the government to reinforce this approach for maximising the impact of such campaigns among the tribal community so that desired results are achieved.

It urged upon the tribal affairs ministry to make use of 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana' (PMGSY) in coordination with the rural development ministry for building all weather roads in tribal areas so that the tribal population including pregnant women can access healthcare facilities in time.

The committee also recommended that all habitations with a population of 250 in hilly and tribal areas should be covered under PMGSY and all weather roads should be made to improve connectivity in such rural areas.

The Parliamentary panel recommended that the government should take measures to make the tribal population aware about the importance of getting treated for TB and the need for undergoing the full course of treatment for effective controlling of the disease.

It further recommended that the provisions under Ayushman Bharat initiative should reach every person living with leprosy disease, especially among the tribals and let Ayushman Bharat be a true beginning.

"The committee hoped to see a day when leprosy is completely eliminated from amongst the tribal population," it said in the report.

The Tribal Affairs Ministry should focus on educating women and their respective husbands about the proper use and benefits of modern contraceptives, the panel said.

It also recommended to the ministry to organise special drives to promote male contraceptives among tribal men and to burst the myths around male contraception so that family planning responsibility is shared between husband and wife.

The committee further noted that in the absence of any effective treatment for SCD (Sickle Cell Disease), the disease burden can only be reduced with appropriate state-of-the-art diagnostics and intervention strategies which are primarily dependent on reliable data and hence it recommended that the Centre should complete the screening of all tribals for SCD from newborn to the old, with emphasis on the adolescents and antenatal women in a time bound manner so that the next generation of the tribal people are free from this disease.

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