Medicinal plants

Latin American Social Medicine in Colombia: Violence, neoliberalism, and Buen Vivir

“…Law 100 introduced the technicalities that led to the privatization of healthcare, most importantly, a system dependent on individual insurance and administered by the financial sector. This law has led to the progressive destruction of public healthcare practice and teaching, by defunding public and university hospitals, closing them altogether, or reengineering them as for-profit institutions (Abadía- Barrero, 2022;Hernández, 2003). Neoliberalism in Colombia also resulted in an escalation of military violence and aggressive labor reforms, the destruction of unions, the dismantling of welfare, and the intensification of the exploitation of nature.…”

“…Furthermore, the national government's unaltered adherence to neoliberal and extractivist economies makes us question the different meanings, practices, and contestations that Buen Vivir is making possible through efforts to move the peace accord forward. For example, organizations and local communities living or collaborating in the different "territories of peace" are creating and implementing strategies to "recuperate" the land, which means not only the possibility of living in a territory free from war and fear but also the possibility of rebuilding a vital environment in which soil, plants, animals, and humans can benefit one another and the health of one "being" signals the health of all (Chaves et al, 2018;Giraldo-Gartner and Abadía-Barrero, 2022;Green, 2020;Lyons, 2020). 4 In this section, we share our findings from our observations, participation, and conversations with members of RSP since 2017.…”