SUMMARY
Ten years have passed and there has been no result of an empowerment program for remote indigenous Akit tribal communities in Riau. The Akit tribe is an ancient native Malay tribe (Proto Melayu) in Riau Province. These indigenous people are still less fortunate in terms of health and social. This study investigates the root causes of health inequalities in the Akit community to get a complete picture of the problem. By using a qualitative approach and case study methods, this research is conducted by means of in-depth interviews, observation, and literature study. The results of the study show that the root cause of failed empowerment is a lack of synergy between government agencies, in which each agency had its own program, thus it poses disadvantages to the society where there are still illiterate sufferers, people who are heavily dependent on the underdeveloped environment that make them ill, and cultural institutions that are not feasible and binding to the social system that prevents people from developing.