MS declares emergency against Yanomami lack of assistance – 01/21/2023 – Health

The Ministry of Health declared a state of emergency to fight the lack of health care that affects the Yanomami. The ordinance was published in an extra edition of the DOU (Official Gazette), this Friday (20), and is already in force.

Through an Emergency Operations Center, the ministry wants to “plan, organize, coordinate and control the measures to be used”.

The actions will take place in conjunction with state and municipal managers of the SUS (Unified Health System). The group linked to the emergency must propose to the ministry “the activation of health teams, including the temporary hiring of professionals” and the “acquisition of goods and the hiring of services necessary for acting” in the emergency.

Severe crisis.

President Lula (PT) prepared a decree to create a committee against the “serious crisis” affecting the Yanomami.

Today (21), the president will visit a region of Roraima where indigenous people live and, according to the minister, he will have support from the Armed Forces.

The committee will be made up of representatives of the Ministries of Indigenous Peoples, Health, Justice and Social Development, “to deal with the problem of malnutrition, hunger, health, which is very serious in this region”, according to Dias. They also support Funai (National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples) and Sesai (Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health).

The Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sônia Guajajara, said that she will also go to Roraima today (21), “at the request of President Lula”.

Health and humanitarian crisis.

According to the Indigenous Peoples folder, 570 Yanomami children died from mercury contamination, malnutrition and hunger, “due to the impact of illegal mining activities in the region”.

Together with Health, the portfolio “will decree a health and humanitarian crisis, while the federal government will declare a state of public calamity”.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health sent a team to Roraima to carry out a diagnosis of the area’s population.

According to the Ministry of Health, in recent years, the Yanomami population has experienced lack of assistance and difficulty in accessing health care. Cases of malnutrition and food insecurity, especially among the more than 5,000 children in the region, were recorded.

Health professionals report a lack of security and vulnerability to continue care, making medical assistance to indigenous people even more difficult.”.

The region is the scene of frequent and violent clashes between miners and indigenous people, in addition to allegations of negligence by the state government and the former Bolsonaro administration.