Local expressions of COVID-19 syndemic: Health Care Workers’ Strategies in Argentina

Abstract

The strategies of health workers (HCW) in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the need for precise actions and reliable data about its multiple dimensions in the local contexts. This article aims to present a case study located in the southern zone of the Metropolitan Area of the Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) where we analyze the implementation of responses to COVID-19 and its impact on the daily work in health care services. The methodology is framed in the Applied Ethnography. Qualitative information was collected in two public health providers located in La Plata city, which was further complemented with epidemiological information. The results contribute to the understanding of the management of the syndemic in this local con- text, including the strategies of preparation and reorganization of healthcare services as well as new mechanisms for collaboration and introduction of innovations in the public healthcare system. Among the main conclusions we highlight the need of analyzing the COVID-19 as a syndemics, considering the several socio-sanitary dimensions involved in, and investigating its effects on vulnerable populations, which are still poorly known. Likewise, the study reveals how the experiences and organizational strategies of HCW entails the articulation and adaptation of public health policies to the possibilities and constraints of local contexts, in a novel and creative way, facing the uncertainty and epidemiological risk. Finally, the qualitative methodology provides valuable data to understand the dynamics of change during the pandemic and its projection towards the post-pandemic scenarios.