“I’m overwhelmed”: Viral video of Buenos Aires guard packed with Buenos Aires residents that re-energized discussion about hospital care

Jorge Macri, head of the Buenos Aires city government, announced that he would begin giving priority to Buenos Aires residents in public hospital guards. This decision comes as the result of a phenomenon that is not new but has intensified in recent weeks: the flood of residents from other cities who cross General Paz in search of free medical care.

The issue escalated after a video went viral this weekend Doctors at Argerich Hospital Maintained communication with patients from Buenos Aires who came to the ward He complained about the slow speed of service.

“We’ve been here for four hours,” You heard a woman say. The doctor, completely overwhelmed by the allegations, starts asking them where they have come from for treatment. “I come from La Plata”, Another one of them says. “From Florencio Varela”, “From here to Zapiola”, “From Aldo Bonzi”, “From Avellaneda”, The people present kept saying.

Noting these reactions, the doctor was emphatic in his defense: “None come from La Boca (the neighborhood where Argerich is located). Here I serve and have resource capacity for patients from the federal capital, especially La Boca. That’s why I have more workload. everyone comes here,

Based on these types of situations, Macri said this morning that they will not only attract the attention of the people of Buenos Aires, But they will start transferring the costs to Axel Kicillof’s government. The problems that Buenos Aires residents face with primary care on call are compounded by the crisis that state employees of social work are going through, which further complicates the situation.

Official sources of the Buenos Aires government said infobae That such situations are nothing new among guards. In fact, the Ministry of Health is working to strengthen primary care through Health and Community Action Centers (SESACs) so that residents can get care in their neighborhoods with their family doctors, and not in public hospitals. He explained, “The images in the video are exactly what we want to avoid, the fall of the guards.”

Historically, public health utilization in the city is 60/40. 60% are from Buenos Aires and 40% from other cities, the majority from the Buenos Aires suburbs. This index has remained relatively stable for several years, although Buenos Aires health officials are cautious because they believe that demand from people from other provinces may increase due to the economic situation.