Started off the day with a boat ride to a small public health clinic in Tigre, Argentina. We were able to talk to the captain of the ambulance which was a boat. He told us all about the clinic and how they manage and work around that they live on an island. The clinic we toured was quite small containing 4 rooms. The four different rooms included: a dentist office, psychiatrist, emergency room, and a pediatric room and this clinic is only for appointments. There is no waiting room, patients must wait outside for their turn. One problem that they run into is transportation. Because their ambulance is a boat, the captain must make decisions based on weather, for instance they will not travel if they can not see like through fog. Service may also be a problem as they are in the river and will have to use walkie talkies to communicate with physicians and/or use telehealth (zoom). Moreover, we had lunch at a restaurant called Vivanco. We started off with bread and the starter salad, followed by the main course of pasta and finished with a delicious dessert of an ice cream sundae. After we took the bus over to the San Isidro public hospital where they spoke about the challenges that they face such as funding.
The relationship between hospitals and the primary care within the public system:
The hospitals and primary care work together in the public healthcare system to help people stay healthy and get the treatment they need. They are working more to lean towards primary care as well as managing political dynamics (when having to pull money back from the hospitals). This allows for a more cheaper option and more accessibility for those who are in need of the proper care. More people do not require the expensive hospital services if more attention is put on prevention and early treatment through primary care. Moreover, primary care is more preemptive which helps make patients healthier by catching things early before it could progress.This approach not only reduces the burden on hospitals but also improves overall health outcomes for the population.






