The challenge of access to nursing care in communities of the Yanomami peoples: a research perspective

Abstract

The Yanomami indigenous population faces the most varied possible situations, such as: risk of physical and cultural extinction, expropriation of their territory and threat to their knowledge, economic systems and social organization. These situations generated by changes in society and their closer relationship with the non-indigenous population have profound repercussions in the field of health with the occurrence of diseases such as: tuberculosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, depression, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and health problems such as: violence, alcoholism and suicide, problems that have been progressively increasing. The Ministry of Health considers that assistance and health promotion in indigenous communities have a significant impact on the health conditions and quality of life of this population. (Scielo, 2002). Indigenous peoples are diverse tribal groups that inhabit Brazil and have a long history of occupation in the country. Their exact origin is not yet known, but they were the first inhabitants of Brazil. Indigenous peoples have unique cultures that developed from their interactions with the environment. For nursing care in Yanomami communities, it is necessary to be prepared to work in basic indigenous health care, identify risk factors and act preventively, plan and implement, together with the team, actions and programs, carry out monitoring, supervision and evaluation, For nurses to work in indigenous health, it is essential to understand the health-disease process in a broader sense, including the ethnic-cultural aspect, and for professional nurses to seek to update themselves and acquire new knowledge.