Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Ministry has accepted the recommendations of the Expert Committee on Tribal Health in India;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the details of the measures being taken to assess the state of health of various tribal communities in India, particularly in Kerala?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)
(a) & (b): An Expert Committee on Tribal Health was constituted jointly by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs which submitted its report to the Ministry. The Report is available in public domain at https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=1&sublinkid=1110&lid=630
(c ): As per information received from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in order to have all the Institutes / Centers working in the field of tribal health on a single platform, ICMR established Tribal Health Research Forum (THRF) on 9th August 2010, which had been committed to prioritize research addressing specific health needs of the tribal population. Under this THRF, there are 16 Institutes / Centers and major Divisions of ICMR under leadership of National Institute of Research In Tribal Health (NIRTH), Jabalpur. 10 Tribal Health Research Units (THRUs) were established by ICMR in two phases, which have also been functioning, with an overall mandate to improve tribal health through diagnosis and develop strategies for management in their sub-population with emphasis on various infectious diseases as well as non-communicable diseases, apart from hemoglobinopathies, nutrition and maternal and child health etc. These units worked to outline the health problems of tribal population and generated evidence for policy change. Key Contributions to the National Health Research Programmes / Policies by ICMR are at Annexure.
In addition, surveys like National Family Health Survey (NFHS), and District Level Household Survey (DLHS), conducted by the Ministry give estimates inter-alia for tribal health indicators.
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