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Tamil Nadu is well known for being one of India's best performing states in the field of health. It has switched between the second and third positions over the last few years in NITI Aayog’s Health Index, indicating that it provides affordable healthcare, and offers a high degree of specialised services.
Adivasi families in the Nilgiris district, however, know a dramatically different reality.
Many struggle to access the most basic services because they live in relatively remote areas. Those who do overcome hurdles to reach hospitals often find themselves treated with hostility and derision.
As Johanna Deeksha found, these challenges are only exacerbated by deep-rooted structural factors, such as the malnutrition the communities face as a result of their displacement from forests, and the social and economic alienation they grapple with.
"While trekking the hills to meet with the Adivasi communities, I wondered to myself how, if doing this for one day seemed so difficult, what it must be like on days when you're ill, weak, pregnant or old," Deeksha said.
She noted that it would not suffice to just build hospitals or post doctors in these areas. "It's also important to sensitise those that provide help, to train them to be empathetic and to integrate social sciences in medical education, so there's an understanding of the ground realities in such regions," she said.
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Ajay Krishnan
Senior Editor
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