Dialogues between indigenism and Health Reform: discursive bases of the creation of the indigenous health subsystem

Abstract

On September 23, 1999, was  created the indigenous health subsystem within the scope of the Unified Health System. In this work, we analyze the discursive bases of convergence and conflicts between indigenist discourses and sanitary reform, which allow us to reflect on this process that we consider as a "long" indigenous health reform. We used as reference the perspective of Stephen Ball's theory, to analyze documents produced by indigenist actors (FUNAI, CIMI and UNI) and the health reform movement. We point to evidence of indigenous and indigenist use of arguments and proposals for sanitary reform and, on the other hand, the strategic involvement of Sergio Arouca in indigenous health events. The points of convergence are located mainly in the critique of the biomedical model, the approximation of the primary care proposals and the concept of health. Conflicts were mainly related to the operationalization of the subsystem, but the indigenist discourse, contrary to municipalization, found in the district a legitimized proposal in the sanitary reform.