2023-11-13 17:52:13
There are people with back pain or scoliosis who need RPG as a physiotherapy treatment. But they find it difficult to get appointments for prepaid or social works in Argentina (Freepik)
In Argentina, there are people who have medical care coverage through prepaid medicine or social works but find it difficult to get appointments to solve problems that range, among others, from postural alterations or painful back conditions to vision conditions.
Also during the pandemic, cases of anxiety, depression, and other conditions increased. With SARS-CoV-2 infection, there are people who suffer from the problem of tinnitus in their hearing or noticed that they were deaf when wearing a mask.
Many people want to consult for these symptoms, but they face obstacles in being treated in offices in the prepaid and private sector.
Today 6 million Argentines pay for prepaid coverage. Twelve million have union social works. Meanwhile, 5 million have public social work from PAMI and another 7 million with provincial social works. The rest receive care in public sector health centers and hospitals.
The reasons for the delays in accessing consultation appointments and practices with health professionals are several, according to different specialists expressed to Infobae.
There are also problems due to delays in vision surgeries and check-ups with eye doctors (Getty Images)
Juan Manuel Ibarguren, general secretary of the Chamber of Ophthalmological Medicine, which brings together ophthalmology clinics in Argentina, explained the reasons why there are barriers in care with eye doctors.
“The situation of ophthalmology care in Argentina is critical today. In surgical treatments, the costs of imported supplies are very high due to the value of the dollar. Added to this is that there are prepaid companies that charge increases to their members but do not transfer them to the fees of the providers who are the ophthalmologists,” he said.
In addition, Ibarguren added, “there is a third factor which is the extension of the time in which the prepaid and social work payments are made to the doctors. While ophthalmologists have to pay for the supplies in cash, social and prepaid works take several months to pay the fees for the service.”
These situations have an impact on scheduled surgeries for visual health being postponed. And as for office shifts—which do periodic checkups, for example—“there are professionals who resist providing services with the coverage of some prepaid and social works because of the low fees they are paid,” he stated.
As a result of COVID, some people developed tinnitus disorder. There are few professionals in this subject and there are delays in shifts (Getty Images)
For her part, speech therapist Susana Domínguez, member of the Argentine Association of Audiology, explained that “there was a greater demand for studies in my area by patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis during the pandemic. The need to resolve the problems of hearing poorly due to hearing loss was also added because it emerged due to the use of face masks. For these reasons, demand grew. As there are few professionals specialized in tinnitus and hyperacusis, there are delays in appointments. “Social works usually do not cover treatments,”
To treat back pain or some similar problems, there are people who need RPG or Global Postural Reeducation, a physical therapy treatment method.
“In the prepaid system there are problems because many rpgistas do not want to work with that modality. As for social work, very little is paid. I receive people who have social and prepaid benefits who do not get appointments. They offer them a 30-minute shift when an hour’s attention is usually needed. Sometimes they don’t do RPG,” Carolina Álvarez Cardesa, a physical therapist at the Argentine RPG Association, told Infobae.
“Global postural reeducation (RPG) is a very artisanal practice. Each expert spends an hour working with his hands. I prefer to treat fewer patients well than many patients poorly,” she clarified.
The symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression increased. But the number of professionals who serve through social and prepaid works decreased (Illustrative image Infobae)
A similar situation occurs with mental health care. Dr. Juan Cristóbal Tenconi, specialist in psychiatry, psychoanalyst and coordinator of psychiatry specialist careers and courses of the Association of Argentine Psychiatrists, commented to Infobae: “With the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for mental health care increased. in both the public and private sectors. In our country, the economic crisis also contributed to its increase. On the other hand, there was a decrease in the supply of care. There are fewer professionals who serve prepaid companies. It is because they are paid low amounts.”
Also—according to Tenconi—there are professionals who suffer from “burnout” syndrome, due to the lack of social recognition and the demands they have had in recent years.
The delays in shifts are symptoms of a problem that has worsened with the pandemic, emphasized Rubén Torres, from the Institute of Health Policy, Economics and Management (IPEGSA). “In 2017 we had carried out a study on the salaries of doctors and nurses. Argentina was one of the lowest paying countries in Latin America. During the pandemic, spending on medicines and technologies increased and it would be one of the factors that caused the values of medical tariffs to fall,” he told Infobae.
1699906970
#health #specialties #difficult #appointment
