Access to care in Greater Buenos Aires. An analysis of the problem in the framework of the right to health

Abstract

This work develops some theoretical guidelines that place accessibility to health care as a relevant dimension in the problem of equity in the exercise of the right to health care.

In this framework, and from a perspective that seeks to articulate the dynamics deployed in health institutions and the behavior of families that are part of the reference area of ​​such facilities, the objective is to analyze effective access to care. With this purpose, it is inquired about the periodicity of the consultations and the place occupied by the services of the first level in the use of the health system in two municipalities of Greater Buenos Aires[1]: Malvinas Argentinas and San Fernando.

The design of the study is descriptive and analytical, besides triangulates quantitative secondary data (resulting from a probabilistic survey of households in both municipalities) with qualitative primary information. The latter is the result of in-depth interviews with the professionals of the centers that make up the first level and with the population that uses them.

It is concluded that the frequency with which families attend these establishments is -in general- adequate; the role played by social workers is highlighted. However, attention by spontaneous demand occupies an undesirable place in these institutions as a gateway to the health system, causing important barriers in access to health.

[1] In this paper, we refer to Gran Buenos Aires as the only group formed by the 24 parties of the Province of Buenos Aires, closer to the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.