A Fundação Serviços de Saúde Pública (FSESP) no Amazonas: um estudo sobre sua atuação junto aos indígenas

Abstract

The Fundação Serviços de Saúde Pública (FSESP) was, between the 1960's and 1990's, an institution responsible for a wide network of health care services spread all over the country, following up the actions taken by the Serviço Especial de Saúde Pública (SESP). The goal of this research was to analyse the activities of the Fundação in the State of Amazonas, particularly regarding the indigenous populations, mainly located outside the capital of the State. The methodology was based on interviews with former workers of the Fundação, and also on the analysis of institutional paperwork from SESP and FSESP. The results have shown that, legally, the FSESP had no policy directed toward indigenous populations, scenario explained from the analysis of the relation between the public health system and the indigenous health system at the time. But in real situations, however, the agents included the indigenous among their health clients, in accordance to FSESP orientation to provide all people with health sevices in the areas where health bases were installed.