Azim Premji University unveiled a two-day event on “Health among Tribal Communities: Experiences and Learnings from the Ground” in Ranchi.

This comes at a backdrop of the National Family Health Survey‑5 data indicating that tribal communities bear a disproportionate burden of health conditions, healthcare access and outcomes including immunization coverage, institutional delivery, anemia, child malnutrition along with an emerging burden of non-communicable diseases.

The event seeks to bring together experiences and learnings from the ground and discuss the health concerns of these communities, emerging challenges, and pathways for improvement.

Over 250 delegates from across the country, including representatives from civil society organisations working on the health of tribal communities, doctors working in hospitals that serve these communities and members of the public health system, among others are participating in the event.

Panel discussions cover a wide range of topics related to the health of tribal communities, including the current context and future directions, perspectives of community health workers and frontline staff of the public health system, building a culturally sensitive health workforce, addressing neglected and enduring health concerns and experiences of running good hospitals.

This event is the first in a series of ‘Dialogues in Public Health’ hosted by Azim Premji University to create a forum for exchanging knowledge embedded in the real world of practice.

Through the initiative, Azim Premji University said, they targeted improvement of public system at all levels – community health, primary healthcare, and secondary hospitals – by improving their capacity and functioning. 

Apart from its work on-the-ground, the Foundation also supports building an informed, skilled and dedicated health sector workforce through education. The upcoming Azim Premji University at Ranchi will include a Medical College and Hospital and offer courses in medicine, nursing and allied health.

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