Formação técnica de agente comunitário indígena de saúde: uma experiência em construção no Rio Negro

Reforma Sanitária e outros olhares para a saúde indígena: relato de experiência com os Potyguara

RESUMO Quando se pensa em uma Reforma Sanitária como reforma da sociedade, outras questões demandam atenção, como colonização, genocídio e racismo. A colonização, forma de poder que balizou a tessitura da modernidade, organizou-se dentro de regimes de verdade e de autorizações que legitimam alguns saberes em detrimento de outros. A falta de clareza e a insuficiência das concepções de saúde, que são possíveis de serem construídas com os povos originários, promovem fragilidades na configuração institucional e no processo de gestão do Sistema Único de Saúde. Dada a invisibilidade em que a saúde indígena investida de sua multiplicidade vem sendo colocada na saúde coletiva, será realizado um relato das experiências dos encontros com os Potyguara de Monsenhor Tabosa, no estado do Ceará. Os modos de viver a saúde dos Potyguara expressam relações entre o se sentir saudável e o estar adoecido, bem como experimentações de um mundo em que a relação com a terra é de pertencimento e diz da produção do viver e da saúde.

[Intermedicality and protagonism: the role of indigenous health agents on the Kwatá-Laranjal Indian Reservation in Amazonas State, Brazil]

This article summarizes the results of an ethnographic study on the role of indigenous health agents on the Kwata-Laranjal Indian Reservation in Borba, Amazonas State, Brazil. The study aims to contribute to understanding the role of indigenous health agents in the expansion of the hegemonic medical model in a context of medical pluralism. The analysis included data from participant observation and interviews conducted from 2009 to 2011. Semi-structured interviews were held to record narratives on their work routine, experiences, and difficulties. The authors conclude that work by indigenous health agents is essential to primary care, and that their role extends beyond technical activities. The Munduruku indigenous health agents hold a key position in the links between indigenous and biomedical knowledge in contexts of intermedicality, emerging as new political actors in interethnic contexts.

[The contribution of indigenous community health workers to special healthcare for Brazilian indigenous peoples]

Indigenous community health workers are part of a strategy developed by Brazil in the last two decades to promote a special healthcare model for indigenous peoples. Their role is designed to deal with various aspects of the special health policy, including the link between the heath team and the community and mediation between scientific and indigenous medical knowledge. Despite a significant increase in the number of indigenous community health workers in recent years, an evaluation of their responsibilities and contributions to the success of special care had not been conducted previously. This article, based on a literature review and original research by the authors, analyzes the role of the indigenous community health workers vis-à-vis their training and participation in health teams in different contexts in Brazil. Considering the importance assigned to the role of indigenous community health workers, this analysis reveals various ambiguities and contradictions that hinder both their performance and their potential contribution to the special health services.