Healthcare provided to Indigenous people from the Northeast Brazilian state of Maranhão by the Unified Health System in Teresina-PI in 2011: a descriptive study

OBJECTIVE:  to describe access to health services by Indians of Kanela and Guajajara ethnic groups and their satisfaction with care provided by the Unified Health System (SUS).

METHODS:  a descriptive study of a non-probabilistic sample of Indigenous people living in Barra do Corda, State of Maranhão, receiving SUS healthcare in Teresina, State of Piauí, Brazil, in 2011; a questionnaire was administered on frequently used health services, forms of access and ease or difficultly in accessing them.

RESULTS:  67 heads of family replied; 48 of them had used hospitals and 43 were satisfied with the services; among those admitted to hospital, 17 considered the meals offered there different to their customs or bad and 28 did not sleep as they traditionally did in their villages.

CONCLUSION:  access to SUS was facilitated by health professionals and the majority were satisfied with the care received.

Key words:
Health Service Accessibility; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Indians, South American; Unified Health System; Epidemiology, Descriptive