Today, the rector of the National University of Comahue, Beatriz Gentile, launched the diploma in Intercultural Medicine, a proposal for the exchange of knowledge promoted by the Secretary of University Extension together with the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the UNCo. She did so during a ceremony that took place this morning at the Lof Puel Pvjv together with Governor Rolando Figueroa, Health Minister Martín Regueiro and authorities and members of the Mapuche community.
The diploma is aimed at health workers (professionals and non-professionals), students of related careers and the community in general who are interested in the subject, prioritizing health teams. It has about a hundred registered and there are no more places.
“Despite everything that is happening today with universities, we continue working on alternative thinking,” said the rector at the commencement ceremony of the diploma. And then she highlighted that both this training proposal and the declaration of UNCo as the first intercultural university that the University Assembly approved last March “tells us that we are on the right side of life and makes us proud as a university.”
“We are paving the way. This diploma is the door so that the medical career can have a different perspective,” said the rector, while Minister Regueiro, in the same sense, assured that it is necessary to “train our students with an intercultural perspective” while highlighting that “health is born in the territory.” The Secretary of Extension Damián Cancelo also spoke about the objectives of this diploma.
Initially there was a Mapuche ceremony in the rewe (ceremonial space) where Pety Piciñam, authority of the Lof Puel Pvjv, belonging to the Xawvnko Zone of the Mapuche Confederation of Neuquén and Kimeltufe (Mapuche educator), spoke.
“Let our medicine circulate and not be moved clandestinely,” said Piciñam in his speech, which he also referred to as “our companion” every time he referred to Rector Gentile.
The central objective of the diploma that began today is to train the community in intercultural health with special interest in the Mapuche worldview, and will be taught with 9 modules of 16 hours each, divided into 10 hours of theoretical classes and 6 of activity activities. workshop type. In some modules you will visit the territory to learn about Mapuche medicine health centers (Neuquén), intercultural medicine health centers (Ruca Choroy) and biomedicine health centers in the radius of your residence. The total duration will be 144 hours.
“Health is interpreted in different ways according to each culture. Its construction is based on knowledge acquired throughout history, which is why subjugated cultures often find it difficult to express their health based on their own worldview,” is highlighted in the foundations of the project presented last year.
The teaching team is made up of leaders of traditional Mapuche medicine and biomedicine leaders. Speakers from the university environment and representatives of the Mapuche people linked to the topic will also participate to address different topics.
The teaching staff is made up of Stefanía Rivera, Ailin Piren Huenaiuen and Martín Regueiro; and the list of guest teachers includes Ricardo Peña, Fabián Gancedo, Cristina Pelaez, Pety Piciñam, Adriana Marcus, Lorenzo Loncon, Micaela Gomiz, María Cecilia Cremer, Silvia Berruezo, Celina Scapini, Alejandra Mercado, María Ñancucheo, Adrián Cattaneo and Diego Zunino .
