We need to "ikarar the kutipados": intercultural understanding and health care in the Peruvian Amazon.

The scope of this qualitative research was to describe and analyze how the Kukamas Kukamirias indigenous population from the Peruvian Amazon perceives and evaluates the healthcare offered by health workers at the local San Regis health post. An ethnographic-based study was conducted among the San Regis community on the Marañon River in the Loreto district of Peru, including interviews and participative observations with female and male patients as well as with traditional healers and professional health workers. An intercultural perspective is adopted to discuss the evaluations made by the Kukamas Kukamirias about the healthcare offered by professionals at their local health post. Issues examined include the intercultural matches and mismatches that affect vulnerable groups of the population in their interactions with the health services. The frequent preference shown for traditional treatment implies a close relationship between the healer and the person who is sick. This means that conventional forms of healthcare should be seen from an intercultural perspective and taken into account when organizing and articulating health services.

É preciso "ikarar os kutipados" interculturalidade e assistência à saúde na Amazônia Peruana / We need to "ikarar the kutipados" intercultural understanding and health care in the Peruvian Amazon

ResumoEsta pesquisa qualitativa visou descrever e analisar como a população indígena Kukama Kukamiria da Amazônia peruana percebe e avalia o atendimento oferecido pelos profissionais no posto de saúde de San Regis. Foi realizado estudo de base etnográfica na comunidade de San Regis, do rio Marañón, na região Loreto no Peru, incluindo entrevistas e observação participante com pacientes mulheres e homens, assim como curadores tradicionais e profissionais de saúde. O prisma da interculturalidade é adotado para discutir sobre a avaliação que os Kukamas Kukami-rias fazem a respeito do atendimento à saúde realizado pelos profissionais do posto de saúde local. Aborda-se sobre os (des)encontros interculturais que afetam aos grupos populacionais vulneráveis nas suas interações com os serviços de saúde. A frequente preferência pelos cuidados tradicionais implica uma aproximação entre cuidador e doente, pelo que deve ser levada em conta na organização dos serviços de saúde, e articulado às formas convencionais de assistência, em uma perspectiva intercultural.

AbstractThe scope of this qualitative research was to describe and analyze how the Kukamas Kukamirias indigenous population from the Peruvian Amazon perceives and evaluates the healthcare offered by health workers at the local San Regis health post. An ethnographic-based study was conducted among the San Regis community on the Marañon River in the Loreto district of Peru, including interviews and participative observations with female and male patients as well as with traditional healers and professional health workers. An intercultural perspective is adopted to discuss the evaluations made by the Kukamas Kukamirias about the healthcare offered by professionals at their local health post. Issues examined include the intercultural matches and mismatches that affect vulnerable groups of the population in their interactions with the health services. The frequent preference shown for traditional treatment implies a close relationship between the healer and the person who is sick. This means that conventional forms of healthcare should be seen from an intercultural perspective and taken into account when organizing and articulating health services.