Identifying and mapping common practices and beliefs that discourage tribal communities in Betul district from accessing institutional healthcare

In this session we will introduce the tribal demographic found in Betul district and the key issues that exist in scaling public healthcare within these communities. There is a dearth of data regarding the health burden of tribal communities against the entire population. This health burden varies from tribe to tribe as they are differentiated by varying social determinants that are influenced by the complex and diverse social practices that are often overlapping yet unique to each tribe. The absence of a mechanism that traces such intricate diversities has resulted in a system that does not take into account their unique needs and subsequently encourages the distinct practices that dissuades them from accessing institutional healthcare. We encountered these issues while working with the Antara foundation to enable and scale efficient health service delivery in Betul district. Through this study, we are trying to map these practices amongst the different tribes and to understand their healthcare behavior, especially the issues they encounter on the ground level in order to advocate them on the larger level and provide a broader framework that can be applied to tribal communities across the healthcare system.