(kompas.com/Andri Donnal Putera)

An intern doctor who passed away at the age of just 24 in the regency of Aru Islands, Maluku, has received honors from the Ministry of Health for his work in the remote area.

Usman Sumantri, the Health Ministry'€™s head of human resources development, represented the ministry to honor Dionisius Giri Samudera, or Andra, as his body arrived in Jakarta on Friday.

"We grant Doctor Andra the Ksatria Bakti Husada award for his service in serving patients in the remote area. We know that eastern part [of Indonesia] has a challenging landscape, and that also became a challenge for him," Usman said, as quoted by kompas.com.

Andra's body was received in a small ceremony at the cargo terminal of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Friday morning.

Andra died on Wednesday afternoon at the Cendrawasih Dabo regional hospital in Aru Islands after suffering from measles and fever. His colleagues tried to transfer him to a hospital in Ambon, on the mainland of Maluku, but poor infrastructure hampered the effort. Local media reported that there were no dependable schedules for airlines serving Dobo, the regency's capital, and it took hours to reach Ambon by boat.

The doctor'€™s death sheds light on the lack of access to public facilities for residents of remote areas.

Meikyal Pontoh, the head of Maluku'€™s health office, said there had been many cases of local people dying as a result of poor infrastructure in remote areas of Maluku, but usually these cases went unnoticed. He urged the central government to improve transportation infrastructure.

There are around 6,500 intern doctors stationed across the country. (rin)(+)

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