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Widespread health problems are prevalent among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of India, and they tend to incline towards their age-old traditional treatment practices. The PVTGs are relatively reluctant to accept modern bio-medical healthcare and treatment options available to them. The extent of interaction with and the level of exposure to the non-traditional domain directly impact the extent of acceptance of modern healthcare facilities by the tribal people. Based on the review of literature on health aspects of primitive tribal groups of India and some other relevant literature on health issues of indigenous peoples, the author tries to find out the disease burden among the particularly vulnerable tribal groups and perceptions of health, illness, and treatmentseeking behaviour prevalent among them. Further, using a conceptual framework, the author also analyses and discovers the gap in why these people are inclined towards traditional practices.

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Medical anthropology looks at cultural conceptions of the body, health and illness. Medical anthropology is the study of ethno-medicine; explanation of illness and disease; what causes illness; the evaluation of health, illness and cure from both an emic and etic point of view; naturalistic and personalistic explanation , evil eye, magic and sorcery; biocultural and political study of health ecology; types of medical systems; development of systems of medical knowledge and health care and patient-practitioner relationships; political economic studies of health ideologies and integrating alternative medical systems in culturally diverse environments. Ethnomedicine also refers to the study of traditional medical practice. Theoretical classic-Medicine, Magic and Religion defined medicine as a cultural system. In Puerto Rico, spiritism offers a traditional alternative to community health services. Two systems of health care co-exist in Ecuador. Health care in India is charaterised by medical pluralism, including self care, consultations with traditional healers and /or primary health care services (PHCs) These medical systems are complementary, alternative and unconventional. In addition to codified traditional systems-Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha there is ethno-medicine, religious healing and folk medicine. Indian medical policy is not based on traditional medicine alone. The state health programmes are well intended but lack anthropological consultation. To date, research into traditional medicine has been covered mainly by anthropology and it is suggested that other scientific disciplines should be incorporated in order to further rescue and revalue this part of the cultural heritage that has contributed substantially to human health and to the development of indigenous medical knowledge and its resources.