Medicine International

Medicine International (MI) organized, sponsored, and financed a medical project to Ecuador in December 1994. MI accumulated medicines and supplies to treat 1500 people, and flew these supplies by small aircraft into the jungle along the lower Pastaza River in the Amazon Basin. Accompanied by guides and several Indian leaders, we traveled by motorized canoe up various tributaries, visiting as many communities as possible, setting up temporary medical clinics, as well as making a health care needs assessment for this several thousand square mile area. The group included four physicians including, Herb Sigmond, Michael Mouri, Evaleen Jones, and Edgar Rodas, Dr. Jones had been involved in several projects in Ecuador through her organization Child Family Heath International (CHFI). Dr. Rodas was the Dean of University of Cuenca, School of Medicine and has subsequently been appointed Minister of Health of Ecuador. Elliot Taikeff, a native rights, also accompanied us. In addition, two representatives of the elected Achuar leadership completed our group.

The Achuar are a distinct native subculture numbering four thousand people living in proximity to a disputed part of Ecuador and Peru. The Achuar leaders wanted to develop a health care system that wouldn't be in conflict with their own healing practices. We agreed to do this assessment and help the Achuar leaders develop a sustainable health care plan.

To reach everyone in the target area, we used small single-engine planes, flying gasoline in separately to be used in the canoe outboards. Drs. Mouri and Sigmond went into the jungle two weeks before the rest of the group arrived where they acclimated to the severe humidity and insects. We visited a of number smaller villages reached by long treks through the jungle with backpacks full of medicine, fording waist-deep rivers and crossing suspension bridges. We treated machete injuries, malaria, dengue, typhoid, dental problems, parasites, respiratory infections, and malnutrition. There, we would set up a clinic in a hut and see 50 to 60 patients over the next two days and then move to the next community by river or foot.

The communities are isolated and too sparsely populated to each warrant a physician. One solution, which the communities proposed, was to have each village build or designate a structure as a clinic choosing their own health care personnel given preference to local Shamans. This person would provide basic medical and minor surgical care, integrating their traditional healing system with Western medicine.

The team proposed bringing 25 carefully chosen Achuar Indians from 25 communities and training them following a basic medical and public heath curriculum at the medical school in Cuenca for approximately 6 months.

The lecturers would be recruited from the staff at the Medical School. If successful, the infrastructure would now be in place and could be adapted other ethnic Indian tribes.

Since our return, there has been an ongoing dialog between the Achuar community, the Ministry of Health and the Medical School in Cuenca.

In the intervening time a war broke out between Peru and Ecuador along their border along the lower Pastaza River in the homelands of the Achuar. Several of the communities where we set up clinics were evacuated.