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GOVERNMENT OFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
RAJYASABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 3624
TOBE ANSWERED ON24THMARCH, 2026
ASSESSMENTOFADEQUACYANDACCESSIBILITYOFHEALTHSERVICES
FORTRIBALCOMMUNITIES
3624#SHRIRAJENDRAGEHLOT:
Will the Ministerof HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) whether Government has conducted any assessment regarding the adequacy and
accessibility of health services for tribal communities living in desert and geographically
remote areas, if so, the details thereof;
(b) the details regarding the availability and functioning of mobile medical units,
telemedicine facilities and primary health services in such tribal areas of the country, State-
wise, especiallywith regardto desert regionsof Rajasthan; and
(c) whether there is any coordination mechanism in place between the Ministry of Tribal
Affairs and health departments for the planning, financing and implementation of tribal
healthprogramsinthe country, if so, the detailsthereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY
WELFARE
(SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV)
(a) to (c): Health is a State subject. The National Health Mission (NHM) provides support to
the States for improvement in health infrastructure, human resources in health facilities,
availability and accessibility to quality healthcare across the country including desert and
geographically remote areas through Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs), as per the
proposal receivedfrom the States andasperthe normsandavailableresources.
Under NHM, the performance of various health programmes is regularly assessed in the
countryincluding desert andgeographically remote areas, through reviewmeetings, midterm
reviews of key deliverables, field visits of senior officials, promoting performance by setting
up benchmarks for service delivery & rewarding achievements etc. Common Review
Missions (CRMs) are conducted annually to assess and monitor the progress and
implementation status of variousschemes.
Health Dynamics of India (HDI) (Infrastructure & Human Resources), is an annualpublication, based on healthcare administrative data reported by States/UTs. Details of
availability of health infrastructure across the country including tribal areas, State/UT-wise,
maybe seen at the following linkof HDI 2022-23:
https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/Health%20Dynamics%20of%20India%20%28Infrastr
ucture%20%26%20Human%20Resources%29%202022-23_RE%20%281%29.pdf
A total of 1.84 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) have been established and
operationalized in the country, including 31,023 AAMs in 178 tribal districts and 13,184
AAMs in Rajasthan, which deliver expanded range of comprehensive primary healthcare
services encompassing preventive, promotive,palliative,rehabilitative, andcurative care.
These AAMs incrementally provide 12 package of primaryhealth care services across urban,
rural and tribal dominated, encompassing Reproductive and child care services,
Communicablediseases,NonCommunicablediseases(NCD),PalliativeCareandelderlyCare,
Careforcommonmentaldisorders,neurologicalconditions(epilepsy,dementia)andsubstance
use disorders management (tobacco, alcohol, drugs), Oral health, ENT care, and Basic
emergencycare.
Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) are supported under NHM to provide outreach services in
remote villages with difficult terrain which are underserved and inaccessible. As per NHM-
MIS report, a total of 1453 MMUs have been deployed across the country including
Rajasthan.
The teleconsultation services, available at all operational AAMs across the country including
tribal anddesert regions, enables people to accessthe specialist services closer totheir homes
addressing concerns of physical accessibility, shortage of service providers and to facilitate
continuum of care. Total teleconsultations conducted at AAMs are 44.08 crore, as on
28.02.2026.
Coordination mechanisms exist between the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and the
Ministry of Healthand Family Welfare (MoHFW), aswell aswith State Health Departments,
for planning, financing and implementation of tribal health programmes. Under the Pradhan
Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), launched on 15th November,
2023 by MoTA, further relaxation in NHM norms has been provided up to 10 MMUs per
district with Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) areas. Norms have been relaxed
for one additional Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) for each Multi Purpose Centre (MPC)
constructed byMoTA. As perMMU portal,815MMUs underPM-JANMAN and320MMUs
under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA) are operational across the
countryincludingRajasthan for providingbasic healthservices intribal areastill 18.02.2026.
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