The Tamil Nadu Government will soon implement a Rs.9 crore Tribal Health Development Plan (THDP) to provide quality healthcare to the tribal population in the state. The programme envisages integration and enhancement of existing tribal healthcare projects and such initiatives involving NGOs and others in the field.
In order to improve the service delivery as part of THDP, the state health department will adopt a separate recruitment policy for health facilities in tribal areas. This is because the staffs posted to these vacancies were often not willing to stay there earlier.
A special post of 'Medical Officer (MO) in charge of Tribal Health Care' will be created at General Hospitals near tribal settlements to generate data and co-ordination of treatment and also for further referral and tertiary care follow up.
All the medical colleges in the state would adopt one or more tribal PHCs from the nearby tribal settlements to offer advanced healthcare, documentation of disease, operational research into special diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia, monitoring of tribal healthcare through post graduate medical students etc., informed sources from State health department.
The sources said that public-private sector participation would be an integral part of the project. The Government will help NGOs in the field with financial assistance and guidance to appoint locally trained health workers at PHCs. The state assistance would also be extended to set up emergency ambulance services and tribal clinics, running remote PHCs and drug supply services as well.
The programme also anticipate training of village healthcare volunteers and traditional healers, developing an action plan to weed out special diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia, improving the nutrition level, establishment of a disease surveillance system etc. Further, advanced training will be given to medical officers, paramedical staff, VHNs, local village and panchayath leaders etc., in association with select NGOs.
The Government will create a Tribal Health Monitoring Cell at the state level in the department of public health to create and analyze data on tribal health interventions. A state level committee for tribal health will be formed with representatives from the directorates of public health, medical education, family welfare, rural development, civil supplies, NGOs etc. to suggest policy guidelines, implement and monitor the THDP. The state level implementing authority will be the Director of Family Welfare. Further, district co-ordination committees will be formed under respective district collectors. From the third year, an impact study of the interventions will be conducted to evaluate the success of the programme.
According to Health department officials, two fellowships also would be awarded every year for postgraduate students in public health and social sciences. The medical students also will be rewarded for conducting operational research on the status and room for improvement in tribal healthcare.
Sources said apart form the activities of the state tribal welfare department, various departments earmark funds from their specific allocated programmes as part of special component plan or tribal sub plan. This is supplemented with Special Central Assistance from the Central Government, and special grants every year to improve infrastructure in tribal settlements.
The Hill Area Development Programme and ICMRs project in three districts to train community health volunteers etc., in addition to numerous projects run by various NGOs were being implemented for the welfare of tribals in the state, they added.