Healthcare and Health Problems from the Perspective of Indigenous Population of the Peruvian Amazon: A Qualitative Study

Bárbara Badanta, Giancarlo Lucchetti, Sergio Barrientos-Trigo, Elena Fernández-García, Lorena Tarriño-Concejero, Juan Vega-Escaño and Rocío de Diego-Cordero
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Bárbara Badanta: Research Group PAIDI-CTS 1050 Complex Care, Chronicity and Health Outcomes, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
Giancarlo Lucchetti: School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036-900, Brazil
Sergio Barrientos-Trigo: Research Group PAIDI-CTS 1050 Complex Care, Chronicity and Health Outcomes, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
Elena Fernández-García: Research Group PAIDI-CTS 1050 Complex Care, Chronicity and Health Outcomes, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
Lorena Tarriño-Concejero: Research Group PAIDI-CTS 1050 Complex Care, Chronicity and Health Outcomes, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
Juan Vega-Escaño: Research Group CTS 1054 “Interventions and Health Care. Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross Nursing School, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
Rocío de Diego-Cordero: Research Group CTS 969 Innovation in HealthCare and Social Determinants of Health, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-18

Abstract: Indigenous communities usually experience higher levels of mortality and poorer access to healthcare services compared to non-indigenous communities. This study aims to understand the most prevalent health problems and their treatment in the Asháninka indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon. We conducted an ethnographic study in order to explore the perceived health problems, the use of traditional medicine and the resources offered by the official Peruvian healthcare system. Field notes and semi-structured interviews were used. A total of 16 indigenous and four non-indigenous people were interviewed, and interpretative analysis was used to identify themes. The Asháninka community is an overlooked population, which, due to distance restrictions, misconceptions and ethnical disparities, is far away from an appropriate healthcare system and is subjected to acute medical conditions such as infections and gastrointestinal problems. This group tends to seek traditional medicine, mostly herbal medications and traditional healers. The use of a health professional is seen as a last resort. Although the official Peruvian health system incorporates community participation strategies to improve the healthcare of indigenous people, the shortage of material, human resources and cultural sensitivity makes this difficult. Healthcare strategies should be devised and implemented in order to minimize health inequality in this population.

Keywords: health inequalities; community-engaged research; culturally appropriate; indigenous; Peruvian Amazon; traditional medicine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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