Medical services hard to access for orang asli

Mysterious illnessJahai tribesman Kurup lighting a fire by the grave of his eight-year-old granddaughter Malini. The bamboo structure acts to keep animals from digging up the body. Above: A child suffering from a disease known to the Jahai tribe as ‘serawan’, taken during a previous trip to the Royal Belum State Park. The child has since fully recovered. — ELROI YEE/The Star

BELUM: While the Hulu Perak health department provides medical services to the orang asli in the Royal Belum State Park, it is not always accessible to those who need it the most.

Mobile clinics are sent every fortnight to Sungai Kejar, but the orang asli say the clinics do not stop at every village. There are also some villages, which do not welcome the mobile clinics.