Context:

In a positive development, the Government launched the Tribal Health Collaborative ‘Anamaya’.

About:

• Anamaya aims at enhancing the health and nutrition eco-system of the tribal communities of India.
• It further aims to build a sustainable, high-performing health eco-system to address the key health challenges faced by the tribal population of India.
• Nodal Ministry: It is a multi-stakeholder initiative which is launched by the Union Health Ministry in collaboration with the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs.
• The other collaborative includes the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMFG) and Piramal Foundation.

Implementation:

• The National Council on Tribal Health along with the Tribal Health Cell will be set up to monitor healthcare needs in the tribal areas as well as implement the Tribal Health Action Plan.

Need of such initiative

• Despite the improvement over the years, the tribal population disproportionately shares the burden of poverty, death, and diseases compared to their non-tribal counterparts and face a myriad of obstacles when accessing public health systems.
• These include the-
  • lack of health facilities in indigenous communities
  • Cultural differences with the health care providers
  • Human resource shortages
  • Poor treatment-seeking behavior
  • Difficult terrain
  • Infrequent transpor

Other similar initiatives

• Tribal Tuberculosis Initiative was launched by both the Ministries to fulfill the goal of ‘TB Mukt Bharat’ by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline.