Day 6 here in Argentina has been very informative. We started off our day with a drive to the pier and then a boat ride down the Rio Capitán River. We visited a little clinic that serves the habitants of the river. The only way that these people can travel is by boat. We even got to see a boat “school bus” that travels from dock to dock and picks up students to take them to school!
When we arrived at the clinic we got to see it and learn a little more about how it functions. One of the main priorities of this little community of healthcare workers is providing primary care for all of the residents and making sure that anything they might need is as accessible as possible. One of the challenges that they face though is how inaccessible getting around the river can be. Things like the level of the water or time of day can greatly affect peoples ability to go to this clinic and receive care. The clinic has a schedule for what doctors will be at the clinic what days and there is always someone there 24/7. They also have ambulance boats where they can travel to peoples homes and pick them up or deliver medications or anything else that they might need. One thing that Emilse mentioned was a need for more primary care physicians who work at this clinic. Having primary care doctors is very desirable for places like this because the doctors will know a little bit of everything. Currently, as I mentioned, there are many specialists which can make receiving care more difficult because you have to wait for a certain day in order to see them. Whereas a primary care physician could assess the problem and have a general idea and then communicate with the specialist for a better outcome.
Overall it is very clear that these people who live in Tigre are very caring and truly do everything that they can to help. The clinic is fully stocked every month with medicine and supplies that people can access for free. These doctors work 24/7 to deliver the best quality care that they can for these patients. I hope that eventually primary care can become more prominent in Argentina because it truly is a great thing that we in the U.S. take for granted.
See you guys tomorrow!