Adventures in South America

A Visit to the Emergency Room

Yesterday Seth cut the index finger on his right hand pretty deeply while washing a knife. The wound was definitely about 1/2 cm deep, but Seth thought that applying pressure and a bandaid would be sufficient medical attention. I felt otherwise. I knew he needed to go to the hospital to get some stitches! After making some phone calls to a friend and going by a medical center that didn't have an emergency room, we ended up at Rivadavia Hospital in Recoleta. The hospital is on a big campus and we ended up in the wrong direction a few times. We finally ended up in La Guardia (the Emergency Room) and upon showing his cut to an employee there, were rushed into one of the hospital rooms. Although the hospital itself seemed dark and a little prison like, the service was great. Definitely more laid back than we are used to, with all of the doctors and nurses passing through to see what was going on and to greet the two Doctors to be that were attending to Seth. I was in the room with Seth the whole time and watched the process. A thorough cleaning of the open wound, an injection of novacaine and Seth was ready to receive the 4 stitches required from Dardo and Maggie - two "not quite" Doctors. In Argentina, you go to school for 8 years to become a Doctor (you don't go to undergrad, you study to become a doctor from the beginning of your university career). After completing/passing your 8 years of school, you must wait another year for your Doctor's license to be processed. This is where Dardo and Maggie are in the process. You can began working after you finish school, but you are of course, supervised by a doctor. Maggie and Dardo want to be surgeons. The best part about all of this? Thanks to Argentina's Socialized Medical care, it was completely free!! There were no forms to fill out (I just needed to leave Seth's name and Passport number at the front desk) and we were out of there about 45 minutes after arriving. We will be back to see Dardo and Maggie in a week to remove the stitches.

posted by Kathy T @ 8:50 AM