On January 19, as a result of grave malnutrition, Jacson Lopes, a child of two years, died.

 

The community of the Indigenous Area Araguajú is in mourning, because of the death of the little boy. Fifteen days before, the health of Jacson’s got worse. According to the chief of the village, Assunção Benites, they called the state organ for Indigenous Healt (FUNASA) to intervene, but no one from this agency appeared.

 

Hospitalized

A doctor from the neighboring village Guarapuava diagnosed Jacson with anemia and malnutrition. He prescribed various medicines, but Jacson´s father did not have the money to buy most them. According to the family and the village chief, the FUNASA personnel disapproved of the doctor’s initiative, as he had no authorization by the entity to attend to the indigenous.

Jacson was then taken by car to the Municipal secretary of Health of Terra Roxa, where he was hospitalized for three days. When he was released, he returned to the village weaker than when he was interned at the municipal hospital, alleges his father.

 

Refusing responsibility

Because of his worsening condition the boy was taken to the hospital in Guaíra and hospitalized for three days. When he returned home, Jacson resisted for four days, always presenting clear symptoms of dehydration (due to dysentery), anemia and responding less and less to stimulus.

Meanwhile, alerted about the situation, the FUNASA once again refused the responsibility to attend the boy, alleging that the area of Araguajú is not formally recognized as an indigenous area.

However, already in October 2008, Federal Judge Luiz Carlos Canalli had determined that the FUNASA was responsible for attending the village of Araguajú. Among other provisions a 10-days deadline was given to install potable water in the village. In spite of this, and also after the death of Jacson, the Guarani continue using the polluted water of the Paraná River for drinking and cooking.

 

Outsourced healthcare

In Paraná, FUNASA has outsourced the indigenous healthcare to the NGO Reimer. When the Guarani finally appealed directly to the Reimer´s responsible, this manager liberated money to purchase food for Jackson’s family. Unfortunately, this permission arrived too late, because the child died shortly thereafter.

According to the Guarani community, the NGO had been promising al year long to purchase food for them.

 

Already on September 26, 2008, in a public hearing organized by the Ministério Publico Federal, chief Assunção had denounced the presence of malnourished children in the village: “We will have to wait for them to die, only then something will be done!”

 

 

Source: CIMI Sul – Equipe Paraná