Though the Chenchus geographically occupy a large area, their medical needs are barely met as they are spread out sparsely. There are no more than 10 to 15 Chenchu families living in each hamlet, located deep in the Nallamala forests.
This creates a major problem, especially during the monsoon season. Respiratory illnesses, viral fevers, and most importantly malaria, run wild among the tribal people as rains start pouring in.
Speaking to The Hindu, Dharmakari Ramkishan, professor of orthopaedics, who worked with Chenchu tribes, said that accessibility was one of the major concerns as the medical and health department authorities are too "lax" to provide healthcare to these tribal people.
Currently, the government sets up public health centres and deploys health officials depending on the population. Because the Chenchus occupy a large area, the government cannot provide adequate number of officials to treat them, said Dr. Ramkishan. "The staff nurse or a medical health official can only walk for a distance," he said. He added that the government must introduce ‘bike ambulances’ in areas which cannot be accessed by four-wheelers.
Malaria in Agency
The authorities, in response to the increasing malaria cases, have taken up various measures to check the number of cases in the district.
The first line of defence is DDT spraying. "There are 18 Public Health Centres (PHC) in Agency areas of the district, of which 11 have been identified as high-risk areas," said A. Nooka Raju District Malaria Officer. Over 12,000 people reside in these high-risk areas that are covered by these PHCs.
These areas undergo two-phase spraying —once in June and once in August — every year. The authorities have completed the first phase of spraying, and will start the second phase on August 1.
In 2017, the district medical and health authorities distributed over 10,000 mosquito nets in the high-risk areas to bring down malaria cases. However, Dr. Ramkishan claims the distribution of nets had not yielded any benefits. "The nets need to be tied to a bed. A person who lives in a hut and sleeps on the floor does not have any use for the net," he said. He added the government would be better off distributing bedsheets to cover their entire body while the people sleep.
Other seasonal diseases
District Medical and Health Officer J.V.V.R.K Prasad said the PHCs in the Agency were well equipped to deal with diarrhoea as well as other respiratory illnesses. However, he claimed there were only a few cases, to begin with, so tending to them would not be a concern.
"The people here, as opposed to the people in northern Andhra region, have clean sources of water and different food habits. This reduces the chances of a diarrhoea outbreak," Dr. Prasad added.