Cimi and Coiab Launch Emergency Campaign to Ensure Peoples
Health
7/31/97
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Headline: Cimi and Coiab Launch Emergency Campaign to
Ensure Peoples Health
Source: CIMI
Date: 7/31/97
Newsletter n. 271
CIMI AND COIAB LAUNCH EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN TO ENSURE
THE HEALTH OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Neglect, indifference, lack of professionals and
insufficient funds. Cimi and the Board of Indigenous
Organizations of Brazilian Amazonia (Coiab) launched this
week in Manaus, state of Amazonas, the ``SOS Casa do
Indio'' campaign to warn and pressure the Brazilian
State to fulfill its duty of ensuring suitable living
conditions to indigenous peoples and taking care of their
health. According to Funai's Health Department in Brasilia,
there are 50 of those health care centers to assist
indigenous populations in Brazil. All of them, however,
without any exception, are facing similar problems, which
are aggravated by the lack of respect for the health policy
proposed by the National Indigenous Health Conferences.
The situation is dramatic at the ``Casa do Indio'' health
care centers. Every week, about 70 Indians belonging to
different ethnic groups are hospitalized in one of those
health centers in Manaus with tuberculosis, cancer, chronic
kidney problems, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases
and other contagious diseases. Of the three doctors working
there, only one is on duty - one is away visiting
indigenous villages and the other is on leave. As for
nurses, the situation is the same. Without a differentiated
and specific medical assistance, the Indians are referred
to the regular public health system, which is in a
shambles.
Since 1993, when the 2nd National Indigenous Health
Conference was held, nothing has been done with regard to
the old claim of indigenous organizations and Indianist
entities for the creation of Special Sanitary Districts.
The head of Funai's Health Department, Ana Costa, said that
the institution ``is taking steps'' to establish those
districts and requested a broad understanding among
Indian-supporting entities, the department she heads and
the National Health Foundation. By trying to share this
responsibility with other entities, Funai, which is
officially in charge of the Indianist policy, has not been
ensuring the participation of the Intersectoral Indigenous
Health Committee and of the Intersectoral Indigenous Health
Centers in this effort and has not been pressuring the
Ministry of Health and the Executive Branch to implement
the proposal as it should.
Because this policy does not exist in practice, indigenous
peoples are being poorly assisted in their health problems
and clinical examinations are hard to come by. Indian Mura,
Maria do Socorro Moreira, who was feeling strong abdominal
pains, complained that she had stayed at the Casa do Indio
of Manaus for five months and had not made any medical
examinations or received any medicines. Without an adequate
assistance and without the possibility of being actually
cured, the Indians are ``hospitalized'' for long periods,
running the risk of contracting more serious diseases. They
complain that they only get two meals a day, which
according to the staff of the center are donated by third
parties. According to Funai, US$ 462 are spent per patient,
but only US$ 7 are used to buy food. In Brasilia, the
situation is even worse. In average, 50 Indians from
different regions of the country are lodged in shabby
boarding houses every month. They are assisted by four
doctors and referred to the public health system.
According to Ana Costa, Funai is building a health center
close to Brasilia, a new ``Casa do Indio''.
Funai's budget for this year is US$ 9 million to take care
of the health of 320 thousand Indians. In the opinion of
Ana Costa, these are ``utterly insufficient'' funds. She
also stressed the lack of human resources specializing in
indigenous and sanitary issues and of health professionals.
She said that the institution has not managed to control
``primary'' diseases. Under these circumstances, it is
almost impossible to deal with more complex diseases such
as AIDS, cancer, alcoholism, and dengue fever.
Brasilia, 31 July 1997
Indianist Missionary Council - Cimi