Critical Analysis of the Right to Health of Tribal Minorities - an Indian Perspective

Abstract

India has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, but the country's health care system has not received the adequate funding or attention it needs to meet the convention's standards. Health and education are crucial to realizing children's rights, but to do so we must shift away from a welfare model. Special care must be taken to ensure the health of the newborn (survival), baby (immunizations, nutrition), and preschooler (infections, development). Completely functioning health care delivery systems, well executed programs, and comprehensive accountability. All children should have access to free preventative care and basic medical treatment. The disadvantaged need access to practical health literacy education. Because of a severe lack of access to medical care, the health of indigenous people is in a precarious state. Women and children in the neighbourhood are disproportionately affected by malnutrition, which is the leading cause of mortality. The indigenous tribal people of India still face significant obstacles in the health sector, despite India's 68 years of independence. These include a lack of education, the absence of even basic health care, and food poverty. Natural resources are dwindling as a direct consequence of increasing land grabs by corporations, which is wreaking havoc on indigenous communities that have no other means of subsistence. Unemployment among native/tribal youngsters is a major problem. Hence, it becomes important to evaluate the healthcare rights of tribal communities in India. This paper is an attempt to analyse the provision of Right to Health for the tribal communities. It will further argue, whether Right to Health should be explicitly considered as a fundamental right under Part III of the Constitution of India.