Tejas Pande
Lead, Strategic Communication
There are several critical health issues that affect our nation’s tribal communities, often leading to a reduced life expectancy and quality of life. A tribal person dies almost 4 years before a non-tribal person.Tribal communities account for 50% of malarial deaths in the country. Tuberculosis (TB) is almost 5 times more prevalent and leads to more TB-related deaths amongst them. A tribal woman is twice as likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth.
There is a significant lack of clarity about the health of tribal peoples among healthcare leaders due to inadequate data. This is both painful and unacceptable for a nation that has a lot to celebrate after 75 years of its independence. Without ensuring access to good health and nutrition for 104 million tribal people (from more than 705 tribal communities), we will fail to achieve our commitment to the Sustainable Develop Goals (SDGs). The urgency and the complexity of tribal health and nutrition brought together Piramal Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), and USAID to lay the foundation of Anamaya: The Tribal Health Collaborative.
The collaborative has grown due to the unwavering support from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Organisations working for and with tribal peoples across India – including SEARCH, Ekjut, Karuna Trust, Jan Swasthya Sahyog, SEWA Rural, and Basic Healthcare Services – have helped us shape our strategy and approach through their insights and learnings. Seminal experts like Dr Abhay Bang, Dr Sudarshan, Dr R Balasubramaniam, Dr Prashant Tripathy, and Dr Nirmala Nair, who have spent decades working towards the improvement of health and wellbeing of tribal communities across India, continue to guide us on our journey.
Anamaya was launched collectively by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and the Piramal Foundation on the 7 April, 2021 (World Health Day). It was our first step towards committing to end preventable deaths among tribal and marginalised communities across India. Anamaya will engage with the key stakeholders from the tribal communities to listen, learn, and leverage their voices through our work on Communitisation of Healthcare, curate and create Knowledge to inform our tribal health agenda, and contribute towards Strengthening the Public Health System.



We firmly believe that we must work as a collaborative across geographies and organisations to honour our commitment to the tribal communities. Please reach out to us via email (info@anamya.org.in), Twitter at @AnamayaTHC or Instagram at Anamaya_thc to design new possibilities to work together.