In Madhya Pradesh’s tribal belt, BJP tries to plug health infra gaps with Ayushman Bharat

One of the few Gond community members from Chhindwara to pursue an MBBS degree, 21-year-old Akash says a lot has changed in the Madhya Pradesh district. “Earlier, we were forced to go to Nagpur for medical treatment. Now, even knee replacement surgeries are performed here. A medical college helps sustain an ecosystem of clinics and other related businesses. Hence, it is important in the tribal belt,” says the 21-year-old.

It is a common sight across Chhindwara to see not just voters but also party workers discuss healthcare, with many people raising concerns about the state of health infrastructure. While Congress workers speak about former Chief Minister Kamal Nath footing the medical bills of people, BJP workers promote the Narendra Modi government’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana and its efforts to ramp up testing for sickle cell anaemia.

Chhindwara, which is Nath’s turf, is one of the five tribal-dominant districts of eastern Madhya Pradesh along with Mandla, Shahdol, Sidhi, and Balaghat that will vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19. Here, healthcare is a major concern for voters and parties too seem to have taken note. Sickle cell anaemia is known to be prevalent among tribals in Madhya Pradesh with at least 27 of the state’s 33 districts in the sickle cell zone.

With the BJP presenting the government’s welfare schemes and improved health infrastructure as evidence of the tribal belt’s transformation, The Indian Express travels across the five districts.

In Chhindwara, which is Kamal Nath’s turf, tribals make up 36.8% of the district’s population. BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu, who will take on Nath’s son Nakul in the Lok Sabha battle, claims to have helped more than 7,000 people with medical