While lack of adequate studies and data are still a major hindrance in providing healthcare facilities for the tribal population in Tamil Nadu, some of the available data has indicated that Sickle Cell Anaemia has become a genetic disease among the tribal population in the Nilgiris, and a good percentage of the tribals suffer from various diseases and malnutrition.

Sources opine that lack of comprehensive data and elaborate study on the extent of diseases and healthcare utilization, lack of systems to co-ordinate and evaluate ongoing interventions etc. have seriously hampered the quality of healthcare provided to the tribal population in the state.

According to a series of surveys undertaken by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Nilgiris Adiwasi Welfare Association, Sickle Cell Anaemia has become a genetic disease among the tribals of Nilgiris. Out of the 2526 people belonging to 76 tribal hamlets and 925 tribal families in the taluks of Pandalur, Gudalur, Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Manjur in the Nilgiris district, 226 had iron deficiency anaemia, 48 had sickle cell disease and 658 had other types of anaemia. According to the state health department sources, it is yet to ascertain the extent of the diseases in other tribal population in the state numbering over 5.74 lakhs and spread over various districts.

An NGO study among 12, 000 tribal people spread over 210 hamlets in two taluks of the district, had revealed that in 937 pregnancies followed up to delivery by them, only 76 per cent were examined three times by even a basic healthcare worker, 37 ended in stillbirth/intra-uterine death, and only 35 per cent delivered in hospitals. There were six maternal death in the group studied.

Deficiency of essential components in diet leading to malnutrition, protein calorie malnutrition and micro nutrient deficiencies (vitamin A, iron and iodine) are common among the tribals. Goiter of various grades is also endemic in some of the tribal areas.

As per a study conducted by an NGO group among tribal children for malnutrition, 27 per cent of the 3662 children examined were suffering from malnutrition of grade II and Grade III, and there were 20(0.5 per cent) infant deaths. The same study also revealed that only 252 couples out of the 12,000 population were using any form of planned parenthood methods. Interestingly, the study could not find any HIV/STD cases in the area, though it recorded 123 deaths in a single year, and found neonatal deaths among the group were to the tune of 5 per cent.

Sources said an ICMR project is being implemented in the three districts of Kancheepuram, Thiruvalluvar and Nilgiris districts covering the primitive tribal groups for creating and continually training a cadre of community health volunteers, in addition to the various other Government sponsored and NGO led healthcare initiatives among the tribals. A state Government sponsored special project of Hill Area Development is being implemented in the Nilgiris district to improve the health of tribals in the Nilgiris. The soon to be implemented Rs.9 crore Tribal Health Development Plan of the State Government would be aimed at coordinating the various initiatives, besides creating sufficient data for further studies, said the sources.