Introduction:

More than two decades after the introduction of the concept intercultural health in Latin America, its definition is not clear, as it has acquired different meanings depending on its use. There are tensions between the tendency to reduce intercultural health to the conciliation between biomedicine and indigenous medicine, and a critical perspective that makes visible the inequalities between the two. The aim of this study was to understand the concept of intercultural health from the perspec tive of two Mapuche communities that have implemented intercultural health programs that maintain actions to claim indigenous rights.

Content:

This is a qualitative study. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with Mapuche users, health professionals, intercultural facilitators, and key informants in the cities of Canete and Tirúa. This information was analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings on the vision of intercultural health were grouped into four themes: addressing the most urgent health needs of the community, respecting the user and their culture, respecting the indigenous health system, and respecting the collective rights of the Mapuche people.

Conclusions:

Intercultural health is seen as an approach that must ensure quality care, community participation, and respect for traditional health, in which the rights of indigenous peoples are the cornerstone. In a context marked by inequality and discrimination against indigenous peoples, complementarity between medical systems is not a priority issue.

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