‘Kuala Koh infant mortality rate higher than national average’

Light-hearted moment: Aya (centre) with a Bateq family in Kuala Koh in September 2013.

KUALA LUMPUR: The infant mortality rate of Orang Asli in Kampung Kuala Koh, Gua Musang, Kelantan, is significantly higher than the national average and lack of accessible healthcare is a major reason, says anthropologist Dr Aya Kawai.

Aya, from Chiba University in Japan, carried out studies on the Bateq tribe there from 2011 to 2012 and found that there were seven infant deaths out of 19 total births, which is 36.8%, much higher than the national rate of 0.64% in 2012.