The health camp is being conducted at Laxmidevipally mandal in Bhadradri Kothagudem district by ICAR-National Meat Research Institute, Hyderabad and AIIMS-Bibinagar. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
The strikingly high prevalence of anemia among the Koya and Gond tribal communities in Telangana emerged as a key issue during the recent ‘One Health’ meeting held at Laxmidevipally mandal in Bhadradri Kothagudem district. The finding, observed during clinical examinations and field evaluations, again highlighted long-standing health inequalities in some of the state’s most remote forested areas.
This event was jointly organized by ICAR-National Meat Research Institute (NMRI), Hyderabad and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Bibinagar under the All India One Health Approach to Zoonoses Prevention and One Health National Program for Zoonoses Prevention and Control. The camp was aimed at strengthening preventive health awareness, expanding basic medical services and building zoonotic disease surveillance systems among particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs).
“The initiative serves as a critical bridge between scientific research and community realities, enabling early disease detection, stronger health literacy and trust-based engagement,” said Rahul Narang, who chairs the Department of Microbiology and serves as regional coordinator for One Health.
The Bhadradri Kothagudem district, home to scattered Koya and Gond settlements, continues to face deep-rooted structural barriers to healthcare. Poverty, geographic isolation, language differences, and reliance on traditional healing practices have meant that these communities have limited access to routine medical care. As a result, anemia, malnutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, and acute respiratory infections remain widespread, especially among women and children.
Around 150 tribals attended the camp where doctors from AIIMS-Bibinagar provided consultations on maternal and child health, nutritional deficiencies, chronic respiratory problems and recurrent febrile illnesses. The medical team included specialists from obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and clinical microbiology, working under the supervision of Dr. Narang.
Hygiene and sanitation kits were also distributed to reinforce behavior change with a particular focus on women’s health and menstrual hygiene. A central part of the initiative was the collection of human serum samples for monitoring zoonotic diseases. Parallel animal and environmental sampling by the NMRI team aimed to build an integrated early warning system in tribal ecosystems.
Published – 24 Nov 2025 21:27 IST
