HIV/AIDS AMONG THE BHILS OF JHABUA

The widely and fast spreading disease like HIV or AIDS was unheard among the Bhils of Jhabua, MP, India until they started to migrate some 30 years ago to Gujarat and other places due to two major failures: rains and Government. First failure is unpredictable and natural but the second one is calculated in depriving the tribals of their human rights to food, employment, and above all to their social survival, much due to their own corruptions in administration. In the case of second failure much is assured for the relief to the tribals and in fact the funds and help does arrive in abundance, but in reality it hardly reaches, where as 70% or above these days find their own employment thus proving that they are independent, self sufficient and self employed.

According to one of the leading HIV/AIDS social worker Jimmey Nirmal(30) running a center for patients of this particular disease at Jeevan Jyoti Hospital Meghnagar, says, that there are already 150 identified and registered cases with the state Government of Madhya Pradesh, receiving the treatment. Earlier some 60 to 70 patients died of HIV/AIDS without being registered Jimmey Nirmal confirms. According to him the causes of this illness is migration and in the places of work where the Bhil males mainly make sexual contacts with other opposite and non tribal partners in the cities of Gujarat like Baroda, Ahmadabad, Surat , etc. He says 48 cases of the AIDS are of advance stage and the remaining ones are of HIV. These patients are mainly between the age of 30 to 40 years.

Tribals are ignorant of the disease including the Government schemes for the treatment. It has come to them from outside due to sheer poverty, ignorance and temporary joy. There may be more than 50 cases of this disease still to be identified in this region. One of the Ayurvedic doctors in the Jhabua district is of the opinion that there is one HIV patient per 1000 Bhils in Thandla area. But according to Jimmey who is well informed in this context, says that there must be 1 HIV patient per 700 Bhil persons in the district.

In this region Government policies are slacking for the care of the HIV/AIDS patients due to which patients are suffering much. Their finances get over, no income at home, unable to work, community members maintain sufficient social distance, suffer slow but steady death, family gets impoverished in all perspectives, sell all the resources at home, affected persons of the family mainly parents die and children are rendered orphans in the course of time.

Jimmey Nirmal says that there is a lot to be done in this field and he intends to dedicate himself for the care of HIV/AIDS patients as a full timer in the near future.

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