Integrating Tribal Healers into Community Healthcare: National Capacity Building Programme for Tribal Healers Begins |
Hyderabad: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), Government of India, hosts the Capacity Building Programme for Tribal Healers on Strengthening Health Outreach in Tribal Areas at Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad, on 16 January 2026. The programme marks a historic, first-of-its-kind national initiative to formally recognize and engage tribal healers as collaborative partners within India’s public health ecosystem, in alignment with the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister to build a Viksit Bharat through inclusive, last-mile, and community-led development.
The inaugural plenary session was attended by Shri Jual Oram, Hon’ble Minister of Tribal Affairs; Shri Durgadas Uikey, Hon’ble Minister of State for Tribal Affairs; Shri Adluri Laxman Kumar, Hon’ble Minister, Tribal Welfare Department, Telangana, and Shri Balaram Naik, Hon’ble MP, Mahabubabad, and senior officials of the Government of India; representatives of premier medical and research institutions; state government officials; and approximately 400 tribal healers from across the country.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Manish Thakur, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, stated that tribal healers command generations of trust and social legitimacy within their communities. He emphasized that MoTA now envisions tribal healers as collaborative partners across its health programmes, particularly in preventive care, early identification of illness, and timely referral. He highlighted that geographical, cultural, and systemic barriers continue to limit tribal communities’ access to formal healthcare, and that the active engagement of trusted healers can significantly strengthen last-mile service delivery.
Smt. Ranjana Chopra, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, underscored the pivotal role of tribal healers in mainstreaming community-based and community-led health solutions. She noted that such approaches are cost-effective, sustainable, and grounded in local realities. Highlighting the continued prevalence of communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and leprosy in several tribal districts, she called for a final, targeted push to eliminate these diseases from endemic tribal geographies.
During her interaction with tribal healers from Odisha, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, the Secretary noted their aspirations for dignity and formal recognition, mechanisms to ensure inter-generational transmission of traditional knowledge, and preservation of rare medicinal plants and herbs. She informed that the Ministry has set an ambitious target to formally recognize and enable one lakh tribal healers as partners in strengthening health services for tribal communities.
Shri Balram Naik, Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Mahabubabad, Telangana, observed that diseases........