Summary: Joint Session between Working Group on Health Promotion and Working Group on Indigenous Peoples, Gender and Development

Indigenous peoples, health and traditional medicines

For a long time, it was thought that the western way of treatment and prevention was the only efficient way. Clearly, there are other models closer to the reality and resources of the people of the Third World. Instead of imposing western health systems, would it not be possible, in certain cases, to combine the traditional and the western? If so, in what way and under what conditions, could this be done?

Angela Brown of Health Unlimited talked about work with indigenous people, the effort to achieve better health and well-being, and to build capacity by working with communities at grassroots and forming local partnerships to sustain services. Ms. Brown described the programmes of Health Unlimited that works with communities to set up health clinics in rural areas. Focusing mainly on the programmes in Peru and Guatemala, she explained how the organization builds capacity at the grassroots level, thus incorporating traditional knowledge. The obstacles indigenous peoples face in getting access to health services are marginalization, the lack of funds, the assassination of many of their leaders, and the remoteness of their communities. The spread of AIDS is an increasing threat.

Julia Ramos Sanchez, an indigenous woman with a university degree in nursing, discussed the professional vs. the human way and her personal experiences as a Bolivian health worker with Bartolina Sisa. Ms. Ramos Sanchez explained that government programmes in Bolivia do not reach the communities and that humane treatment is lacking in health care: only people with money can afford to pay for treatment.

Given this situation, she explained the need to practice preventive medicine. Ms. Ramos Sanchez listed the conditions necessary to ensure health: food sovereignty, the access to natural resources and clean water, and access to lands that provide them with raw materials for their natural medicines. Health is also dependent on the ability to earn a basic income through the sale of their products, and access to education. No matter how many health clinics are set up, without access to what they require to ensure good health, indigenous peoples will not become healthy: "We must fight to get our land back, as land means life".

According to Ms. Ramos Sanchez, women must be actively involved at all levels, including that of politics, and are partially to blame for having allowed others to make political decisions for them in the past. Indigenous peoples— including indigenous women—want their own model of development and require the political power to provide it.

The importance of traditional medicine was stressed, as well as the fact that it is free, as opposed to the over-valued modern medicine. The issue of exploitation by pharmaceutical companies was also raised. Two examples of effective traditional medical practices given were: the use of certain herbs for the prevention of malaria and other aliments; and the use of the more natural birthing position as opposed to the supine position imposed by male-dominated western obstetrics. Ms. Ramos Sanchez also pointed out the importance of land to health and life and the respect for nature in traditional medicine.

Justa Cabrera of Asamblea del Pueblo Guarani of Bolivia, said they wanted their government to recognize their skills, and that it was important to enter into a dialogue with western medicine, which her training as an auxiliary nurse enabled her to do. Likewise, the danger of the theft of traditional knowledge about medicinal plants for patenting by foreign enterprises was raised.

Interesting issues
There was extensive discussion on nutrition, traditional medicine, health and land. The adoption of western eating habits and the disdain for local foods was having an adverse effect on the health of indigenous peoples. The good cultural eating habits and practices of indigenous people have been eroded and altered due to the introduction of "western" foods, with disastrous results. For example, a traditional corn drink in South America is now losing its popularity due to the increasing demand for Coca-Cola. Also, traditional herbal medicines are being replaced by high-priced western medicine. All this results in malnutrition, poor health and the reduction of longevity from 120 to 60 or 70 years.

Conclusions and recommendations
The value of herbal and indigenous systems of medicine was emphasized. Concern was expressed around the need for protection of the indigenous systems of medicine, culture and knowledge. CSOs and the UN have the responsibility to protect them, and multi-national corporations should not be permitted to exploit these for their own gains. For the indigenous people land is health and life and should be given back to them.

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