Health Service Provision in a Huichol Community in Mexico: an issue of Intercultural Communication
Abstract
In Mexico, there is a high incidence of health-related problems among indigenous ethnic groups that are otherwise prevented and have a low impact in non-indigenous rural communities. The Mexican Ministry of Health acknowledges that this problem may be in part due to the fact that the vision of the indigenous patient regarding health issues has been omitted from official programmes. In this paper we show that although understanding cultural aspects is crucial in the development of a culturally-sensitive view of health care service provision, it is also of paramount importance to observe aspects concerning intercultural communication issues, such as differences in expectations regarding interaction patterns. The case of the Huichols, an indigenous ethnic group in Mexico, is presented.
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Copyright (c) 2011 Saul Santos García, Karina Ivett Verdín Amaro
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