Abstract

PONTES, Ana Lúcia; REGO, Sergio  and  GARNELO, Luiza. The Performance of Indigenous Health Agents in the Upper Rio Negro Region, Brazil: Relationships between Self-Care and Biomedicine.Translated bySandra Carolina Portela García,  Juana Valentina Nieto Moreno. Desacatos [online]. 2018, n.58, pp.84-103. ISSN 2448-5144.

This article analyzes the performance of the indigenous health agents in the Alto Rio Negro region, with the objective of reflecting on the implementation of the indigenous health care in Brazil. It highlights the relationships these agents establish with the forms of attention used by families to solve their health problems. Theoretically, it is based on the contributions of Eduardo Menéndez on the analysis of care models from an anthropological perspective. It was noted that self-care practices were the first instance of resolution of health problems and that medications are central to the transactional relationships between self-care and biomedicine. The actions of indigenous health agents facilitate access to biomedical services, functioning as well as generators of self-care practices.

Keywords : self-care; health of indigenous peoples; indigenous health agents; medical plurality; Amazonas.