Project Vidya: Indigenous Pain Relief

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Around 30-40% of indigenous peoples in Latin America suffer from chronic pain¹. How do we eradicate RMD (Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disease) pain in Latin American Indigenous Communities by improving patient quality of life and promoting autonomous decisions?

AIM

Tackling healthcare, technological, infrastructural, and educational inequalities while maintaining cultural safety for Latin American indigenous peoples to alleviate their pain.

OBJECTIVE

Create a consortium of partnerships within Latin America and create novel policies and tools to dynamically solve chronic pain in Latin American Indigenous Communities.

SOLUTION

• • Encompass a set of medical, educational, infrastructural, and technological policies, while stressing cultural competency.
  • Lead the creation of LAIPDEP (Latin American Indigenous Pain Digital Education Platform) with this platform which will allow greater connection between patients, healthcare providers, and anthropologists.
  • Project Vidya will help key stakeholders in the relevant fields to engage in solution-based within these fields during PFP’s Niagara Falls retreats.

PROJECT RESOURCES

Peláez-Ballestas I, Granados Y, Quintana R, et al. Epidemiology and socioeconomic impact of the rheumatic diseases on indigenous people: an invisible syndemic public health problem. Ann Rheum Dis. 2018;77(10):1397-1404. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-213625

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Project Founder & Leader: Vidya Surti