[Politics and inter-medicality in the Upper Xingu: from model to practice in indigenous health care].

The indigenous healthcare model in Brazil is premised on comprehensive care combined with the notion of differentiated care and provides for respect for cultural diversity, seeking to incorporate traditional therapeutic practices into the health services that serve indigenous peoples. This study aimed to determine how to reconcile universal access to health goods and services with a model of care that guarantees differentiation, without interfering in the quality of services. It is also necessary to define which parameters should be used for evaluating the quality and efficacy of such services in an intercultural context. Based on a case study - the implementation of health services in the Upper Xingu - the author addresses some issues related to the political uses and "dangers" associated with "health spaces" and the distinct concepts (indigenous and non-indigenous) of what constitutes health and quality of health services. These issues affect not only health services but also the local political situation.