Healthcare Access and Health Beliefs of the Indigenous Peoples in Remote Amazonian Peru

Abstract

Abstract. Little is published about the health issues of traditional communities in the remote Peruvian Amazon. This study assessed healthcare access, health perceptions, and beliefs of the indigenous population along the Ampiyacu and Yaguasyacu rivers in north-eastern Peru. One hundred and seventy-nine adult inhabitants of 10 remote settlements attending health clinics were interviewed during a medical services trip in April 2012. Demographics, health status, access to healthcare, health education, sanitation, alcohol use, and smoke exposure were recorded. Our findings indicate that poverty, household overcrowding, and poor sanitation remain commonplace in this group. Furthermore, there are poor levels of health education and on-going barriers to accessing healthcare. Healthcare access and health education remain poor in the remote Peruvian Amazon. This combined with poverty and its sequelae render this population vulnerable to disease.

Beyond diversity loss and climate change: Impacts of Amazon deforestation on infectious diseases and public health

“…Urbanization, de-urbanization, poor sanitation, and deficient healthcare services are common phenomena in Amazonia (Silva 2006, Giatti 2007, Viana et al 2007, Carvalho-Costa et al 2009, Gomes et al 2009, Gorayeb et al 2009, Giatti & Cutolo 2012, Johansen & do Carmo 2012, Brierley et al 2014, Cardoso et al 2017. Taken together, these factors create the perfect storm for the occurrence of outbreaks and epidemics in the human population living or working in the Amazon region, especially in cities near forest areas and that have deforestation-associated activities.…”

<p>Expanding Medical Education for Local Health Promoters Among Remote Communities of the Peruvian Amazon: An Exploratory Study of an Innovative Program Model</p>

“…Moreover, 57% reported not being able to seek medical attention when necessary, secondary to financial and geographic barriers. 9 In addition, Loreto had the highest overall recorded prevalence and incidence of Dengue and Malaria in Peru between 2001 and 2016. 11 Beginning in the 1990s, there have been significant efforts to establish effective CHW programs in the province of Loreto.…”

“…Loreto is one of Peru's most sparsely populated regions as well as one of its most geographically isolated. 9,10 Approximately 45% of its inhabitants live in Iquitos, the provincial capital, while the remaining 55% live in small and often remote river-edge communities along the Amazon. 9 Notably, in a 2014 study examining characteristics of healthcare access in remote rural areas of Loreto, 38.5% of respondents reported never having consulted a doctor.…”

“…9,10 Approximately 45% of its inhabitants live in Iquitos, the provincial capital, while the remaining 55% live in small and often remote river-edge communities along the Amazon. 9 Notably, in a 2014 study examining characteristics of healthcare access in remote rural areas of Loreto, 38.5% of respondents reported never having consulted a doctor. Moreover, 57% reported not being able to seek medical attention when necessary, secondary to financial and geographic barriers.…”

Prácticas culturales vinculadas al cuidado de la salud y percepción sobre la atención en establecimientos de salud en residentes de centros poblados alto-andinos de Huancavelica, Perú

“…La reforma de salud en el Perú tiene como objetivos fundamentales el aseguramiento universal en salud (AUS), la descentralización en salud y el fortalecimiento del primer nivel de atención (1) , los cuales deben cumplirse considerando la diversidad cultural y étnica del país, tal como busca la política sectorial de salud intercultural (2) . Sin embargo, se observa que la reforma tiene avances aún limitados, y persisten desigualdades significativas en el acceso y el estado de salud entre diferentes segmentos socioeconómicos (3) ; particularmente en poblaciones indígenas u originarias, tanto amazónicas como andinas (4)(5)(6) .…”