India, Sept. 22 -- Kerala often occupies the top spot in human development indicator rankings and health indices, but in contrast, it's big migrant worker community, a vital cog in the state's labour machine, resides in crowded and unsanitary living conditions, reports long working hours and feelings of loneliness and finds itself largely out of the state's public health programmes, a recent study has found.

The exhaustive study, conducted by researchers led by Bijulal MV at Mahatma Gandhi University and funded by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, over a three-year period between 2022 and 2025 throws light on health care and social integration challenges faced by an estimated 3.5 million-strong migrant worker force in Kerala....