HEALTH SERVICE MOBILIZATIONS ARE REPEATED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY

 

On the morning of 14 February, around 500 indigenous people blockaded the Carajás Railroad, belonging to Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, in Maranhão, for the second time in 15 days. The object of the protest was to press for improvement in the people’s health service and for political changes in the health service administration. The indigenous people’s demands were met and, on the afternoon of 15 February, the National Health Foundation (Funasa) announced that R$52 million had been freed up for emergency use in looking after the indigenous people’s health in 21 of the 34 Special Indigenous Peoples’ Sanitary Districts (DSEIs). Of this total, R$620,000 is to go to Maranhão to buy medicines and medical equipment and to train staff.

 

These mobilizations for improvements in the health service continue all over the country. Last week, the Tupinambá from Serra do Padeiro, in Bahia, occupied the city hall in the city of Una to obtain continuous service, medicines, and the payment of health service workers and the Indigenous Family Health Program (PSFI) team. One day after the occupation, the payment of R$19,200 was freed up for five agents. The money was in safes at the city hall and, in this case, the difficulties in providing the service were connected to municipal political issues.  “We have already made contact with Zé Pretinho, the mayor of Una, on at least three occasions, the last time being on 1 February. The mayor alleges that he is not interested in providing a service for the indigenous people, and the City Hall [of the municipality of] Buerarema also refuses to provide one”, said the leader Magno Tupinambá during the occupation. This has led to an impasse caused by the City Halls’ lack of interest in assuming the responsibility for serving the indigenous people. Whilst all this was going on, the money was locked away in safes in the municipality of Una and the indigenous people could not get medical treatment. The mobilization managed to get Funasa to commit to holding a meeting with the city halls of the municipalities which work with indigenous people’s health to debate the service in all of the South of Bahia.

 

This issue is still on the agenda in the middle of the country, in the state of Tocantins, where 17 children have already died after showing such banal symptoms as: diarrhea, fever, flu and coughing, and there are a further 19 children who continue in hospital. Out of the funds announced by Funasa, R$ 410,000 will be set aside for this state.

 

With the protests in Maranhão, the indigenous people in the state have managed to have their demands for political and financial autonomy from the District health service, with respect to Funasa, met. This will be the first experiment with a decentralized administrative and financial operation in the country. They have also managed to have the Funasa regional coordinator in the State changed. The coordinator had been accused of failing to respect the decisions of the District Indigenous Health Council which, in theory, defines the priorities of the health service policy. The indigenous people are also displeased by the divergences between the peoples’ requests and the decisions taken about how the service is to be provided. The shortages of technicians and medicines, and the failure to transfer the more seriously ill to hospitals have been typical of the service provided by Funasa in Maranhão.

 

MINISTER SERVES THE INTERESTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SANTA CATARINA AND DOES NOT DECLARE THE GUARANI INDIGENOUS LAND OF MORRO DOS CAVALOS

 

A letter published this morning, 16 February, by the Guarani community of Morro dos Cavalos follows:

 

27 months after the legal deadline for the publication of the Ministry of Justice’s government order declaring the boundaries of our land, known as Morro dos Cavalos, in Santa Catarina, the Minister of Justice, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, has sent the process back to Funai to ease the pressure that he has been under to demarcate the land and to continue to appease the state government and  the ruralists of Santa Catarina .

 

Now, because of this decision, Funai will have to nominate another anthropologist to meet the Minister’s demands. This job could take up to a year. Whilst the land continues not to be demarcated, our community occupies around 3 hectares on a steep hill beside the BR 101, one of the most dangerous highways in the country. With no way to produce food, we live on food parcels donated by volunteers and handicraft work.

 

According to information from the director in charge of land issues at Funai, Artur Nobre Mendes, Thomaz Bastos’ actions were based on an earlier decision taken by the Federal Court of Audit, which has asked the National Department of Transportation Infrastructure (DNIT) to carry out new environmental and social studies with respect to the doubling of the BR 101 highway, which cuts through the indigenous land. However, the Court’s decision, which is published in the Official Gazette of 12 May 2005, refers only to the costs of doubling the highway, and not to the Guarani’s land. We understand that this report was sent back just to release pressure and to gain more time, since this is an election year and the signature could displease possible election allies.

 

Since the Federal Government set up a Special Committee at the state level, to evaluate the demarcation of the indigenous lands in Santa Catarina, in September 2004, no lands have been demarcated in the state. This committee is made up of sectors who are opposed to the demarcation of these lands, such as the state government and representatives of agribusiness.

 

More information about the demarcation campaign from: www.terraguarani.org.br

 

Brasília, 16 February 2005

 

Cimi – Indianist Missionary Council