Living Well and Health Practices among Aymara People in Northern Chile

Abstract

The current Chilean health model seeks to promote health equity among indigenous peoples by means of state intercultural health programs. As implemented regionally, these have been widely criticized as depoliticizing mechanisms meant to dominate the indigenous population. Study of the experiences of several indigenous health agents and associations fostered by these programs reveals that the strategic use of the concept of living well by indigenous peoples raises questions about the issues that are to be included in or excluded from the intercultural medical field.

El actual modelo de salud chileno busca promover el acceso equitativo a la salud entre los pueblos indígenas a través de programas estatales de salud intercultural. Tal y como se aplican a nivel regional, estos han sido ampliamente criticados como mecanismos de despolitización diseñados para dominar a la población indígena. El estudio de las experiencias de varios agentes y asociaciones de salud indígenas impulsados por estos programas revela que el uso estratégico del concepto del buen vivir por parte de los pueblos indígenas plantea interrogantes sobre qué asuntos deben o no incluirse en el campo médico intercultural