Intercultural Medicine among Indigenous communities in Cauca and Vaupés, Colombia

This project examined the development and challenges of intercultural health systems in Colombia, focusing on the Indigenous territories of Vaupés and Cauca. I conducted over a month of fieldwork to explore how national policies like the Sistema Indígena de Salud Propio e Intercultural (SISPI) interact with local health models and how these processes are shaped by particular histories of colonialism, armed conflict, and ecological landscapes. I accompanied the local NGO Sinergias, followed health workers, attended SISPI activities, and engaged with indigenous leaders that introduced me to the intricacies of health sovereignty in Colombia. This fieldwork revealed systemic barriers in the organization of intercultural health systems, such as the high dispersion and impoverishment of indigenous political and medical systems in Vaupés due to evangelization, or the presence of the Colombian armed conflict in Cauca and the tensions over potential indigenous bureaucratization. I was also introduced to successful intercultural collaborations, especially in Cauca, where organized Indigenous movements have greatly advanced SISPI implementation. These findings are a glimpse of the complex multi-layered nature of the intercultural health phenomenon I hope to explore, indicating the need for continued in-depth qualitative ethnographic research throughout my PhD. Ultimately, these findings will contribute to scholarship on indigenous health governance, rural healthcare, and the negotiation of diversity in multicultural states like Colombia. I also hope they will be useful insights for policymakers, NGOs, and researchers designing health models that respect sovereignty and ensure equitable access to health services.