Changing Birth in The Andes: Safe Motherhood, Culture and Policy in PeruGuerra-Reyes, Lucia (2013) Changing Birth in The Andes: Safe Motherhood, Culture and Policy in Peru. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)
AbstractThe present study analyzes the Peruvian Intercultural Birthing policy, which sought to provide culturally competent care to Andean women by changing health center birth care and incorporating elements of traditional Andean home birth. The proponents and supporters of this policy, assert that it facilitates a dialog of medical traditions on equal terms, promotes respect and cultural dialog, improves quality of care, establishes good relationships with indigenous communities, and ensures better maternal and child health. Furthermore, they contend that the use of \textit{interculturalidad} as a framework for health will not only foster cultural competence but also contribute to engage indigenous communities with the state and enable the government to address longstanding inequalities in access to health and education. Using a comparative case study design, I contrast two sites of implementation of the Intercultural Birthing policy: the Flores micronetwork and the Kantu micronetwork. Data was collected through formal and informal interviews at national, regional and local levels, and observations of medical visits. The results question the assertion that the intercultural birthing policy is providing improved birth care services for indigenous women. The democratizing ideas of \textit{interculturalidad} are present only in discourse but not in the coercive and sometimes abusive birth care practice. Additionally, the persistence of a profoundly unequal health system structure penalizes health workers charged with policy implementation, restricting their professional development and marginalizing them because they serve rural communities. Share
Details
MetricsMonthly Views for the past 3 yearsPlum AnalyticsActions (login required)
|
![[feed]](/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}