2019-11-01

Let's Talk about Communitary Health!

Written by
Rate this item
(0 votes)
Let's Talk about Communitary Health! Let's Talk about Communitary Health! Melissa Castaño

This week we participated in a health workshop at one of our projects in José León Suárez where some of the members of Pacheco Community and two doctors that work in health centers of the outskirts of Buenos Aires, talked about the importance of building the concept of health from our community. 

During this activity the idea was to debate about the role of the small health centers, which in Argentina are located in the neighborhoods, and to understand why it matters to have this places where people from the community can easily go to ask questions, get medical attention and rather than curing illnesses they can prevent them. For this activity the main guests were the locals from José León Suárez, a vulnerable and precarious neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

Here are some of the main ideas that were discussed during this afternoon: 

  • Health shouldn’t be only perceived as a way of keeping our mental and physical well being but also as an autonomous development. As having the freedom to choose a good life style according to everybody’s social condition and the fulfillment of their rights.

  • There’s a misconception in Argentina that the best doctors are the ones who work at the hospital and that the worst ones are the ones that work in the health centers. This couldn’t be further from the truth, since the latter ones see the patients at first to be able to give them a diagnosis and know which specific doctor they should go see at the hospital.

  • Health depends on us, the whole community, but the system has taught us that this is not true. On this matter is where the State needs to contribute.

  • Health is affected by many economic factors such as pollution, not being able to have access to a good diet, clean water and a normal sewage system. This is something that many villas, or vulnerable neighbors, lack of in the country.

  • Health centers shouldn’t be conceived as places where people enter sick and leave completely cured, there is something about their work that is way more important for the community.

  • There is a huge necessity in the Argentinian health system to include social phenomenons such as substance addiction, violence and abuse to the health programs of doctors and hospitals and to realize that this are illnesses too that need to be taken care of.

  • There also needs to be a pluralist social view about topics such as migration, diversity and gender equality since these areas are part of modern society and also of the Argentinian culture.

Read 16665 times

Related items

Crèche Argentine (English version)

 

            The crèche is not just a place where your children are welcomed and cared for, it is an institution with a deep history and wonderful human values. Indeed, founded by women many years ago, it was a way for them to combine the useful with the pleasant, but above all it was a matter of necessity. Unable to look after children and earn money, they had to find a solution to both problems. So, by building their own crèche, they were able to keep an eye on the children but also develop a business. The beginnings were not easy, sometimes having to bring food from home to feed the children they were looking after because of the little money they had. But with ambition and courage they succeeded and now allow other women like them to do the same thing by getting a job as a teacher, cook or cleaner in the crèche and also to be able to drop off their children. Most of the women working in this institution are, in fact, accompanied by their respective children, sometimes even in the same class.

Volunteering at the early childhood development center: Jack's experience

On our way to El Alfarero, a small preschool on the southern border between Buenos Aires Ciudad and Buenos Aires Province, the two sides of industrial development exist in close proximity and stark contrast.

Argentina: A Dream Fulfilled

Argentina. A land of many ecosystems and one of the largest countries in South America. As a young adult, I dreamt of visiting Argentina, especially after reading Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s, “The Motorcycle Diaries,” and seeing the movie thereafter. Although the story and book focused on Che Guevara’s life, images of the Argentine landscape could not escape my mind. So, I decided to learn more about Argentina’s ecosystems and communities in various parts of the country via my studies.

Los Pibes: La Boca beyond Instagram and Gangster films

‘Los pibes’ in Rioplatense Spanish means the kids, and that, unsurprisingly, is what this movement is dedicated to. To the children of now, but also those of the future, a future that will hopefully look different for those in the famous and infamous neighbourhood of La Boca. Whilst the ‘El caminito’ area is a hotspot for tourists who come to admire the brightly painted buildings and the street performers, according to several guidebooks and foreign travel advice pages, leaving this part of town leaves a traveller vulnerable to violent muggings.

'Ecology without a social fight is simply gardening': Kasia's experience at Comunidad Milpa

Over the weekend, Neil, Milena, and I visited Comunidad Milpa, a project outside of Buenos Aires city towards Tigre. Having got up early to get the bus from Plaza Italia, what struck me on arrival was how industrial the area is. I was told that this part of town was home to several factories, among them the Ford production plant. With the backdrop of this industrial landscape, Comunidad Milpa felt somewhat out of place, which is perhaps exactly why it makes perfect sense that it is situated here.

Exchange as a Strategy for Another Possible Construction: An Interview with Isaac and Quinn

Get to know more about Quinn and Isaac experience in the sustainability project!

Did you know Maria Remedios Del Valle? The mother of the homeland

We always share historical fragments on patriotic days or historical commemorations, but these facts usually describe events led by men. However, in Argentine history, as in history in general, there were many women who fought. In these publications, we will share the stories of many women who are part of Argentine and Latin American history. Today: Maria Remedios Del Valle

Reflections in pandemic: Is another education possible?

In a context where the debate about face-to-face or virtual classes does not cease and where the situation is being exploited with interests, we believe it is important to reflect on another possible education: not to open or not to open, but how.

Login to post comments