International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 299 Vol.9; Issue: 3; March 2019 International Journal of Health Sciences and Research www.ijhsr.org ISSN: 2249-9571 Review Article Tribal Health in India: A Need For a Comprehensive Health Policy Dandub Palzor Negi 1 , Dr. Monica Munjial Singh 2 1 Research Scholar, Centre for Social Work, Punjab University, Chandigarh. 2 Associate Professor, Centre for Social Work, Punjab University, Chandigarh. Corresponding Author: Dandub Palzor Negi ABSTRACT Health is an important determinant of the well-being of any community. Health is considered one of the essential elements of human development and progress. India has the second largest tribal population in the world. Tribal populations are one of the most socio-economically deprived sections. Because of its vulnerability and deprived condition, tribal population faces a lot of problems of varied aspects in which health is one of the significant issues that makes them more vulnerable and deprived. Tribal health is in the state of continuous debate and deliberation over a period of time. Tribal population in the country is one of the most vulnerable and marginalized section and has been in the continuous state of ignorance and negligence. The socioeconomic condition along with poor health and sanitation condition makes it more vulnerable and susceptible to disaster and change. The present paper is an attempt to highlight the various dimensions of the tribal health and health care facilities available in the tribal areas of the country. This paper is also an attempt to discuss the need for comprehensive health policy to meet the health requirement for the indigenous population of the country. It is felt that there should be a comprehensive and national level health policy to mitigate the problems of health among the tribal population. It is need of the hour to have a comprehensive national policy on tribal health to address the issues related to health and its correlates in the country. Keywords: Tribal Health, Vulnerability, Comprehensive, Health Policy, Well-Being INTRODUCTION Health is an important determinant of the well-being of any community. Health is considered one of the essential elements of human development and progress. The health of a person is defined as a state of their physical and psychological well-being. The word health has a different sense and meaning for the individuals and the groups. Health as a word used to denote „a condition or a state of well being‟ (Dolfman, 1973). The concept of health was more precisely associated with the mental and moral soundness and well-being rather only concentrating more on the physiological functions of the body of a human being. The earliest and foremost notion of health was a state of disease-free which represents the traditional medical concept. It was accepted among the physician and medical personnel. Health was defined solely in terms of the lack of diseases, symptoms, signs or problems. This definition of health has emphasized illness rather focusing specifically on individual well-being. Individual well-being should be a central theme around the health and its notions. The World Health Organization defines the health “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely absence of disease and infirmity.” i.e. health is not just the