Abstract

PULIDO FUENTES, Montserrat. An effective medicine between cultures?: The experience of a health program of primary care in indigenous communities from the Amazonian Ecuatorean Jungle. Index Enferm [online]. 2010, vol.19, n.2-3, pp.208-212. ISSN 1699-5988.

There becomes necessary to analyze cooperation programs which reproduced our biomedical guidelines but neglect the local ones. In this Work, it show the result of several case studies, which show how the way of carrying out health programs in isolated areas does not examine closely the indigenous reality and its traditional medicine. I have done a sociocultural immersion and an observation participant, I have applied a qualitative methodology and techniques, both in the Achuar community and in the western structures of the scene researched.I have found out that the way of carrying out health programs in such inaccessible indegenous communities, provokes distrust towards the new system imposed. As a consequence, it does not gather real results.I have concluded that a greates knowledge of cultural competence, is something that should be required from ngos and health agencies that are employed in the studied area.

Keywords : Cooperation to the development; Traditional medicine; Cultural competence; Health program; Cultures; Confidence.