Indigenous health must be seen as a priority, says secretary

The secretary of Indigenous Health of the Ministry of Health, Ricardo Weibe Tapeba, said this Wednesday (19th), that indigenous health must be seen as a priority by the Brazilian State. On today’s date, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated. “We have a large infrastructure and logistics liability. Health teams often end up providing care in improvised spaces. The lack of infrastructure affects the quality of the service offered. Many territories do not have access to water, sanitation, energy, internet”, said the secretary, while participating in an online seminar promoted by the Center for International Relations in Health (Cris/Fiocruz). Tabepa highlighted the challenge of bringing specialized care of medium and high complexity to territories such as that of the Yanomami people, the largest indigenous land in Brazil with 10 million hectares, more than 380 villages and more than 31,000 indigenous people. “It is no longer possible for indigenous health to be limited to primary care only. The territories demand specialized attention, [o] which would even be more advantageous than removing indigenous people from their lands.” Physician and researcher Ana Lúcia Pontes, who coordinates humanitarian actions for the Yanomami at the Ministry of Health, recalled that the health tragedy experienced by these people is old and has been aggravated in recent years. “Before the covid-19 pandemic, the situation of Yanomami children was already particularly serious, with malnutrition and a very high infant mortality rate,” said Ana Lúcia. “Between 2018 and 2022, there were 505 deaths of children under one year old with malnutrition, diarrheal diseases, malaria.”

Agência Brasil