Today gave me a much better understanding of why funding primary care is so important, especially in a healthcare system serving a large and densely populated area like Buenos Aires. We started the day by visiting another clinic that acted similarly to a primary care physician for the surrounding community. The clinic had enough resources to help people with basic needs, but it was also clear that they did not always have enough to provide the full level of care that every person deserves. One of the most interesting parts was seeing how they operated with an emergency boat at Tigre clinic, which brings patients there so they can receive whatever treatment is needed. This showed me how creative and necessary primary care can be, especially for communicates where access to hospitals may be more difficult.

After the clinic visit, we had lunch at a nice restaurant and, of course, had another steak, which makes it the fourth steak of the 2 day trip so far. I am still searching for one cooked at the right temperature, but I respect to commitment to the steak here, and especially how cheap they are. Later in the day, we visited San Isidro Hospital, where we heard a presentation from Maria, a member of the hospital’s board. One point tat stood out to me was when she explained that Buenos Aires is similar in size to Pittsburgh in square kilometer, but has a much larger population. That comparison helped me realize how much pressure the healthcare system is under. When so many people need care in a concentrated area, hospitals and emergency rooms cannot be the first stop for every health issue. Because of this, I would choose to fund primary care over only focusing on emergency rooms and large hospitals. Emergency rooms are meant for urgent, life threatening, or serious medical situations. If people are forced to use the ER for smaller illnesses or preventable conditions, it takes away time, space, and resources from patients who truly need immediate attention. Primary care clinics help solve this by treating smaller issues early and deciding when a patient actually needs to be sent to a hospital. In many ways, clinics act as the filter that keeps the entire healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed.

This idea connected to what we saw yesterday at Hospital Austral, which was a also a very advanced and high end hospital, but still only had around 220 beds available. Even a strong private hospital cannot realistically handle every minor sickness, checkup, or preventable issue for a large population. Those beds need to be available for patients who need surgery or overnight care. If more money is invested into clinics and primary care physicians, patients can receive help earlier, and the overall system becomes more effecient.

Overall, today helped me understand that funding primary care is not about taking importance away from hospitals. It is about protecting hospitals by making sure they are not abused, and used for the right reasons. Clinics may not always look as impressive, but they play one of the most important roles in healthcare delivery.