page_title: Healthcare in Peru
section_title: Traditional and indigenous medicine
hierarchical_section_title: Healthcare in Peru / Traditional and indigenous medicine
caption_attribution_description: English: Peru - Day-hiking Ollantaytambo to Inti Punku Sun Gate 58 Q'eros "Paqo" (Healer and medicine man), in his ultra-bright traditional poncho and chullo (hat) calling the Apu mountain spirits to bless a mesa, a cloth-wrapped package of special found and collected power objects (like rocks and crystals from places you've done ceremony) that a person on the old path carries for ceremonies.
context_page_description: Peru has a decentralized healthcare system that consists of a combination of governmental and non-governmental coverage. Five sectors administer healthcare in Peru today: the Ministry of Health, EsSalud, and the Armed Forces, National Police, and the private sector.
context_section_description: As of 2006, approximately 47% of the Peruvian population is considered indigenous. Many indigenous people continue to carry out medical practices utilized by their ancestors, which makes the Peruvian medical system very interesting and unique.  In many parts of the country, shamans (also known as curanderos) help to maintain the balance between body and soul.  It is a commonly held belief that when this relationship is disturbed, illness will result.  Common illnesses experienced by the indigenous population of Peru include susto (fright sickness), hap’iqasqa (being grabbed by the earth), machu wayra (an evil wind or ancestor sickness), uraña (illness caused by the wind or walking soul), colds, bronchitis, and tuberculosis.  To treat many of these maladies, indigenous communities rely on a mix of traditional and modern medicine.
caption: A Curanderos performing a ceremony
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