The Ministry of Health has initiated a series of trainings to improve health and care policies for the Yanomami. Professionals working on Indigenous Territories (TI) will be eligible to reduce obstetric and neonatal emergencies; improving the diagnosis and treatment of malaria; Improving nutritional screening of the population. The courses last 10 days and continue until next Thursday (27th).
Focusing on providing assistance to emergency, obstetric, neonatal and pediatric cases in primary care, 70 health professionals, including doctors, nurses, nursing technicians and professionals who work at Yanomami IT, in the maternity ward of Casa de Saúde Indígena (Casai) and in Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU), receive training.
The training aims to prevent maternal deaths resulting from postpartum hemorrhage, puerperal infections/sepsis, and eclampsia. The training strategy will include obstetric emergencies, obstetric care, resuscitation and neonatal transport, in addition to qualification for Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI).
malaria
The second training applied in indigenous territories focuses on vocational retraining for malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment. During the course, health practices are updated, such as treating the disease course and symptoms, in addition to diagnosis, such as clinical examination, rapid testing, and slide collection.
As part of the training, health professionals will engage with indigenous leaders and traditional doctors to share knowledge about care and how indigenous people behave when they become ill.
Issues such as treatment failure and abandonment, medication management, and characteristics of the Yanomami people are also addressed. In addition, health education practices will be worked on, such as environmental monitoring (drying breeders, spraying, female activity time), and reporting and recording cases.
Nutritional screening
In the same vein, malnutrition screening and prevention is the focus of classes with health workers. The idea is to promote practices such as identifying elements that define malnutrition. The course reinforces the need to pay attention to assistance measures such as measuring temperature, height and weight, and performing an arm circumference test (tape). These measures are necessary to control malnutrition.
Other actions
Since January 2023, in an inter-ministerial framework, the Ministry of Health has increased the number of professionals, doubled investment in health measures and worked to ensure assistance and control major diseases, such as malaria and malnutrition in Yanomami territory.
According to the Secretariat of Indigenous Health (CESAI), the Yanomami have the largest indigenous territory in Brazil, with 10 million hectares, more than 380 communities and 30,000 indigenous people.
Octavio Augusto
Ministry of Health