Social transformation of Indian tribal community: Unlocking the potential by providing access to healthcare
- Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers
- 46(1), Jan-Mar, 2021: p.41-50
In January 2016, Dr Uday Gajiwala, co-founder of the Divyajyoti Trust, was thinking about the progress and future of Tejas Eye Hospital (TEH). The hospital, promoted and managed by Divyajoti Trust was located in Mandvi,1 served a tribal population of 2.5 million spread in 2,000 villages. In addition to providing ophthalmology services, TEH expanded its scope to become a community health care centre. In a span of five years, TEH conducted more than 16,000 surgeries and treated 1.3 million outdoor patients. Dr Gajiwala was satisfied with the progress of TEH so far. He was also instrumental in providing rehabilitation support to the visually challenged population in this area. He supported the Trust’s initiatives to enhance the skills of the community members for better employment. He was concerned about the challenges in deepening the value chain of TEH in this area and replicating this model in various tribal locations in India. - Reproduced
Tribes - India, Affordable healthcare, Tribal community, Community healthcare, Social transformation