Abstract

The article discusses the experience of indigenous peoples from southeastern Veracruz with primary care services at the institutional level. The information stems from 71 interviews with people suffering from coughs, as well as from participatory workshops and informal talks with people from the region. Geographic inaccessibility, lack of medication, short clinic hours, and lack of translators of local languages are the main problems that hinder use of existing health services and sometimes become reasons for users not to seek those services. The article concludes with a reflection on the present model of medical care in Mexico and the importance of primary care as a foundation of the health care system.