Page 8 - HOH

A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 29 august 2022
Chile hospital integrates Native medicine, birth to death

By Giovanna Dell'orto Mapuche people see the
OSORNO, Chile (AP) — In placenta as holding a twin
labor with her first child last spirit to the child’s. Its burial,
month, Lucia Hernández often with a tree planted
Rumian danced around on top to grow as the new-
her hospital room while her born does, is believed to
husband played the kult- create a lifelong connec-
run, a ritual drum. tion between children and
She turned down pain the natural elements of
medication from the hospi- their family’s territory.
tal’s staff to get massages “It’s something very poetic
and oil rubdowns instead and very revolutionary,”
from her cultural liaison, said Alen Colipan, whose
who had ceremonially pu- son’s placenta was placed
rified the space according by a river near his paternal
to Mapuche customs. grandmother’s house. “He
“It became my own will not feel this uprooting
space,” Hernández said. from his land.”
The largest public hospital in Colipan was 17 when she
the southern Chilean city of gave birth in Osorno’s in-
Osorno is finding new ways tercultural delivery room,
to incorporate these and with a floor-to-ceiling pho-
other Indigenous health Angela Quintana Aucapan and her partner Cristian Fernandez Ancapan look at their newborn to across three walls of the
care practices. There’s a son, whom they named Namunkura, at the San Jose de Osorno Base Hospital in Osorno, Chile, rocky beach that is home
special delivery room with Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022. to grandfather Huentellao,
Native images on the walls a protector spirit revered by
and bed, forms for doctors month. en can customize and are her daughter in the coun- the Mapuche Huilliche, the
to approve herbal treat- But they also restore a cru- believed to be the first in tryside with a traditional region’s Indigenous group.
ments from trusted tradi- cial spiritual component to the country. midwife. But Chilean law Colipan said her then-85-
tional healers, and proto- health care, according to Cristina Aron, the patient requires professional health year-old midwife, Irma
cols for “good dying” mind- health professionals and who first inspired Muñoz workers to deliver babies Rohe, who had never en-
ful of spiritual beliefs. patients at Hospital Base more than a decade ago, because of past high ma- tered a hospital, was al-
The hospital’s efforts vali- San José de Osorno. has now become a cultural ternal mortality. lowed to receive the infant
date cultural practices at “It must be a guarantee liaison to Hernández and So Aron turned to Osorno’s “without gloves and other
a time when Chile’s Indig- – we take charge of the two dozen other women hospital and negotiated imposed things” and ritually
enous groups — particular- physical part, but without from pregnancy into early her delivery conditions with clean him.
ly its largest, the Mapuche transgressing on the spiritu- motherhood. Muñoz, including being ac- “We’re going back to
— are fighting for rights and al dimension,” said Cristina “Childbirth is a spiritual en- companied by a woman wanting to give birth with
restitutions with unprec- Muñoz, the certified nurse- ergy event for the mother, conversant in Mapuche people with ancestral
edented visibility as the midwife who launched the baby and the commu- practices and taking her knowledge,” Colipan said.
country gets ready to vote new delivery protocols that nity,” Aron said. placenta to bury ceremo- “Even our way of being
on a new constitution next Indigenous pregnant wom- She had hoped to deliver nially in her ancestral lands. born was dominated.q

Libya capital remains tense a day after clashes kill over 30

for months sought to be parliament appointed a The Associated Press spoke
seated in the capital. rival prime minister, Fathy to dozens of residents and
Residents fear the fighting Bashagha, who has for witnesses. They recounted
that capped a monthslong months sought to install his horrific scenes of people,
political deadlock could government in Tripoli. including women and
explode into a wider war Saturday’s fighting cen- children, trapped in their
and a return to the peaks tered in the densely popu- homes, government build-
of Libya’s long-running lated city center and in- ings and hospitals. They
conflict. volved heavy artillery. Hun- also spoke of at least three
Libya has plunged into dreds were trapped and motionless bodies that re-
chaos since a NATO- hospitals, government and mained for hours in the
backed uprising toppled residential buildings were street before an ambu-
and killed longtime dictator damaged. lance was able to reach
Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The Health Ministry said at the area. They asked not to
The oil-rich county has for least 32 people were killed be identified for fear of re-
years been split between and 159 wounded in the prisal from the militias.
A man surveys the damage from clashes in the Libyan capital of rival administrations, each clashes. “We see death before
Tripoli, Sunday, August 28 2022. backed by rogue militias Among the dead was Mus- our eyes and in the eyes
and foreign governments. tafa Baraka, a comedian of our children,” said a
By Samy Magdy stretch of relative calm. The current stalemate grew known for his social media woman who was trapped
Cairo (AP) — Militias pa- The fighting broke out early out of the failure to hold videos mocking militias and along with many families
trolled nearly deserted Saturday and pitted militias elections in December corruption. He was shot re- in a residential apartment.
streets in Libya’s capital loyal to the Tripoli-based and Prime Minister Abdul portedly while live-stream- “The world should protect
Sunday, a day after clashes government against other Hamid Dbeibah’s refusal ing on social media. It was those innocent children
killed over 30 people and armed groups allied with a to step down. In response, not clear whether he was like they did at the time of
ended Tripoli’s monthslong rival administration that has the country’s east-based targeted. Gadhafi.”q