Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Health of Scheduled Tribes in India: A New Era or a Missed Opportunity?

Abstract

Introduction: Health status is influenced by diverse and complex factors that are interrelated resulting in inequities in health interventions and outcomes. Despite India’s promising social inclusion processes, unequal power relations and social inequalities leave scheduled tribe populations largely excluded. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with its principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ puts social justice and equity at the crossroad of development, emphasizing universal coverage of health care for all. This paper explores (i) health status and access to reproductive health care services of the scheduled tribes using equity lens and (ii) identify policy gaps and suggest public health strategies to achieve the SDG target by 2030.

Methods and procedures: Data of select health indicators from NFHS – 5 survey is used for analysis. Data of schedules tribes are compared with upper caste groups to highlight how the tribal populations in India are marginalized.

Results: The paper highlights the difficulty in achieving targets on some key indicators on health care services including key determinants of health for tribal populations in India. The results show glaring disparities in health indicators of tribal population. An analysis was also made of India’s recent developmental paradigm highlighting the critical role played by them in accentuating health inequalities. The findings highlight the inadequacy in promoting multi-sectoral approach to health, as advocated by SDGs and the tribals are affected particularly by the juxtaposition of programs that are implemented arbitrarily.

Conclusion: To make progress on the SDGs, India must assess the needs and priorities of the tribal population, and design integrated health care services to address systemic inequities. At the end we propose possible strategies to address the perceived gaps.

Key words: Sustainable Development Goals, Tribals, Healthcare, Equity, Multi-sectoral