Day 6 in Argentina was probably one of my favorite days so far! We traveled north of Buenos Aires to a neighborhood called Tigre, in which we visited clinics and learned more about how healthcare works in a unique place like Tigre. What’s interesting about this neighborhood is some of the transportation is all by boat since the area (comprised of different islands) is centered around a series of rivers! We spent a lot of our time on a boat, and the scenery is beautiful because there are so many trees around and usually people on other boats would wave when we drove past them. While we were on the boat, we learned how the clinics and transportation work in emergency situations, and one thing that I found interesting (aside from healthcare) is that kids wait on their pier every morning to be taken to school by boat. Since we were on the boat in the morning, I did see some children waiting with their backpacks on!
One of the nurses first talked to us about the healthcare system in Argentina and she mentioned some challenges for accessing primary care, specifically in Tigre. Primary care is a very important part of healthcare, but in Argentina, many physicians are not specialized in primary care. Primary care is very important in general because it is in close vicinity to many communities, since there are a variety of primary care centers. Primary care is also equipped with people to deal with many types of medical situations. On Tuesday, the deputy minister of health mentioned that one of the main challenges that he faces is strengthening the primary care system in Argentina. Additionally, the nurse that we talked to today mentioned challenges for primary care in Tigre, and those include the geographical access, accessing medication and information, and affording the medication. Since Tigre is kind of in a unique area, the geographical challenges are more apparent than an urban area, but overall, one of Argentina’s overall goals is to strengthen the primary care system.
When the boat arrived at the clinic, we were greeted by the cutest and happiest dogs (one of them is pictured below)! We walked through the clinic, which was a very small facility to my surprise. Even though it is not a large building, all of the doctor’s are equipped to take care of their patients and they have lots of supplies available as well, in which the nurse was talking about contraceptives and other medication they have. We were also shown the ambulance, which is a boat, and my cover picture is of me in the ambulance (shoutout to Salma for quickly taking that picture for me)!
After we visited the clinic, we headed back to be dropped off by the boat and we headed to lunch. I got “baby beef with papas fritas” which is a steak and french fries. We also got dessert which is an ice cream sundae. Afterwards, we went to Puerto de Frutos, which used to be a port, but now it is a popular shopping center in Tigre. Salma, Tori, and I walked around and went shopping, and I got a necklace and earrings for myself from one of the vendors. Overall, today was a great day, as we got to experience a boat ride, learn more about the healthcare system in Tigre, and got some free time to walk around! I’ll be back with more tomorrow!
