Paper Short Abstract:

This paper examines healthcare disparities and migration patterns among marginalized tribal communities in rural Jharkhand. Using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and ethnographic storytelling, it explores how inadequate healthcare infrastructure drives forced migration, while advocating for community-driven solutions to address health inequalities and reduce mobility.

Paper Abstract:

This paper critically examines healthcare disparities and migration patterns among marginalized tribal communities in rural Jharkhand, India, through the lens of ethnographic storytelling and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). Despite global initiatives such as Health for All (HFA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), regions like Giridih, Madhupur, and Pakur continue to grapple with structural health inequities. Limited healthcare infrastructure, socio-cultural barriers, and poor health literacy force rural populations into patterns of health migration, seeking care in distant locations.

Drawing on a mixed-methods approach—incorporating community mapping, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews—this research foregrounds the voices of indigenous communities while tracing their mobile journeys for healthcare. By exploring both stasis and movement, the study highlights how local health systems fail to anchor communities, contributing to cyclical migration and perpetuating vulnerabilities.

In keeping with the panel’s focus on the epistemological politics of ethnographic writing, this paper reflects on PRA as a collaborative method of “unwriting” dominant narratives that marginalize rural experiences of mobility and healthcare. It demonstrates how participatory storytelling not only captures the embodied experiences of migration but also advocates for community-driven solutions. Such accounts challenge asymmetrical power relations by prioritizing indigenous knowledge systems and lived realities.

Ultimately, this paper engages with the intersection of migration, mobility regimes, and healthcare inequalities to reimagine policy solutions that reduce forced migration and ensure equitable access to healthcare for marginalized populations.