Healthcare Accessibility Among Tribal Communities In Bastar District: Challenges and the Role Of Social Work

Abstract

Healthcare accessibility is a multidimensional issue for tribal communities because physical distance, poverty, transport constraints, health-system capacity, language, cultural practices, health literacy and trust can interact to shape whether a person is able to obtain timely and acceptable care. This paper examines healthcare accessibility among tribal communities in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh from a social work perspective. The study uses a secondary-data analytical design based on official district information, Ministry of Tribal Affairs reports, national tribal-health initiatives, health-system documents and relevant academic literature. Bastar is a predominantly rural and tribal district; the district administration reports that tribal communities constitute about 70% of the population and identifies government hospitals as a major source of medical care. Official tribal-health evidence at the national level identifies recurring barriers including shortages of health personnel, infrastructure deficits, poor road and digital connectivity, economic costs, and socio-cultural and language barriers. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has also reported a shortage of doctors at Primary Health Centres in tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, illustrating the wider health-system challenge. The paper argues that healthcare access should be understood not merely as the physical presence of a facility but as the ability to reach, afford, understand, trust and effectively use appropriate services. Social workers can bridge the gap between communities and health institutions through community organization, health education, case management, referral, psychosocial support, advocacy, culturally responsive communication and programme monitoring. The paper proposes a community-centred Tribal Health Accessibility Model combining outreach, transport and referral support, digital/telemedicine facilitation, local health volunteers, women and adolescent groups, traditional knowledge engagement, social protection linkage and accountability mechanisms.