Intercultural health

Abstract

We review the concepts of interculturality, intercultural health, and medical system as a cultural system, as well as highlight the importance, advantages and usefulness of the intercultural approach in health services. This will permit including traditional knowledge on the solution of population's health issues, a better physician-patient interaction, or on a wider view, the health worker – health user interaction and the active participation of community people in the planning of health projects, among others. We also created a proposal to apply Intercultural Health, creating skills and awareness on the Health Services Personnel about the Intercultural Health Care Model, achieving respect on the empiric knowledge and practices performed by the population when dealing with the Health-Disease Process, validating care programs with organized people, bringing health services to the cultural characteristics of its users, incorporating intercultural elements in programs and health services, working with community health workers, and finally to recognize and encourage the development of traditional medicine.This proposal takes effect in Peru just when it was introduced a Project of Law in the Republic's Congress that aims to regulate the topic on Traditional Medicine and related issues.