More than thirty deaths among children from the Baiga community have been registered in the tribal lands of Balaghat. This community is an indigenous people belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) in central India and is officially classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
Under a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), these deaths were presented to the High Court of Madhya Pradesh. The Better India is examining healthcare protection measures that should be available to a Baiga child living in a remote settlement. These measures include mobile medical units, health sub-centers, child screening, vaccination, and nutrition services.
The petition, which raised the issue of more than 30 children dying and accused insufficient medical care, prompted the court on September 10th to issue notices to the State Health Department, the Department of Women and Children, the Collector of Balaghat, and other responsible authorities. The application also claimed that about 400 children were receiving treatment in a hospital with only 50 beds.
However, the court did not accept all the claims of the petition at face value. During the preliminary hearing, the bench noted that the PIL, based solely on newspaper reports, was insufficient, and directed the petitioner to visit the affected areas, verify the situation, and submit a report.
Subsequently, the petitioner visited the villages, and their report and affidavit were submitted to the court. This report stated that pumps in the affected areas were dispensing yellow water, that children and women had not received timely nutritious food for several months, and that there was widespread unsanitary conditions in the affected areas. The report asserted that the administration increased the number of hospital beds and activated health, sanitation, and cleanliness measures only after the death toll exceeded 30.
The court requested responses from the authorities, and the next hearing is scheduled for September 18th. Amid these events, another important question arises: what healthcare guarantees should be provided for a Baiga child on paper?