Survey on the context and healthcare education needs of a uitoto indigenous group in Bogota

Introduction: Colombia is a multiethnic and multilingual country with six million (14%) of inhabitants belonging to minority ethnic groups. These indigenous communities are currently living in a precarious situation due to their limited access to healthcare plans. Objective: to conduct a survey on a uitoto community living in the city of Bogotá D.C., Colombia, predominantly on their context and their education needs regarding uterine cervix cancer and sexual and reproductive health. Materials and Methods: a qualitative study with a focus on ethnography (pilot study) on a uitoto community, using participant observation recorded in a fieldwork diary. Results: uitoto community members interviewed manifest that many of them do not count with a contributive healthcare service. They only count with a subsidiary service as a result from being displaced people. Discussion: better awareness of the latent existence of barriers to healthcare for vulnerable indigenous communities living in urban areas was achieved. Conclusion: we stress the importance of integrating traditional medicine into Western medicine healthcare processes for this community.