Health and Healthcare Services in the Abandoned Tea Plantations of the Dooars Region, West Bengal

Abstract

The tea plantations in the Dooars region faced a severe crisis after introducing economic reforms in the 1990s in India. It has been reported that in the early 2000s, a larger number of people died due to hunger and starvation in the tea plantations, which private owners of the tea plantations abandoned. The study adopts a theoretical framework of social determinants of health to understand the questions on health, diseases and healthcare services in the abandoned tea plantations of the Dooars region of West Bengal. This study attempts to analyze the nature of health and illness, evaluate prevailing healthcare services, and determine the determinants of health services utilization in tea plantations during the post-economic reform period. The study uses empirical evidence derived from qualitative research methods such as ethnography and case studies to examine how the economic reforms and crises in the tea plantations impact the everyday life, work, and health of tribal communities in the study area. One focus of this study involves the prevalence of major diseases and illnesses amongst the tribal populations to understand the nature of health and disease in the region. The present study also examines the structure of health services provided by tea plantations, the government, and informal medical practitioners to provide a comprehensive view of the different providers in the healthcare landscape of tea plantations. Further, this thesis critically analyses the determinants and barriers to accessing and utilizing healthcare services in the Dooars region. These investigations aim to provide insights into the complexities of healthcare in the abandoned tea plantations of the Dooars region.