Odisha to host India’s first tribal health observatory

Highlights:

• Odisha is planning to create India’s only observatory, which will house data on the state’s indigenous population’s health. 
• The ST and SC Development Department and the RMRC, a regional institution of the Indian Council of Medical Research, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard.
• The Tribal Health Observatory (TriHOb) is the “first in the nation,” according to the Information Department, and is aimed to be an effective, evidence-based, and policy-oriented centre.
• It will monitor illness burden, health-seeking behaviour, and the healthcare delivery system in relation to tribal health in the state in a systematic and continuing manner.
• ‘Mo School’ Abhiyan chairman Sushmita Bagchi also inaugurated a tribal family health survey among indigenous groups during the event in which the MoU was signed.
• The survey will serve as a springboard for future longitudinal cohort studies and policy research.
• The ‘Mo School’ (My School) programme aims to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the renovation of government and government-aided schools in Odisha.