At the height of Covid-19’s epidemic peak, primary care physicians have acted as invisible guardians of health. They have had to give up what they value most, that face-to-face contact with the patient and his family, to become distant allies of the sick on the other end of the phone.
About family doctors and nursing professionals of the first level the burden of that 80 percent of those infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has fallen, mild cases without official diagnosis, the ones that don’t count in the statistics.
At the same time that they have closely followed the health of their patients, a large percentage of chronically ill patients see their “GP” more than some members of their family. Chronically ill patients who, as the doctors claim, They have had an exemplary response, minimizing consultations in their health centers in order to discharge health resources as much as possible..
Family physicians have demonstrated unlimited versatility and commitment in the pandemic
However, during all these weeks, and with few exceptions, the first level of care disappeared completely from political discourse. Just as activity in health centers disappeared in some autonomous communities that chose to look for the quarry for large field hospitals among family doctors. Professionals who, as everyone recognizes, have demonstrated enormous versatility and an unlimited commitment that makes the sad count of health professionals deceased by coronavirus family doctors occupy, as in the National Health System, the first rows.
With their eyes set on returning to a new normal, the health authorities, who seem to be waking up from this collective nightmare, set their sights on primary care. They know that, once again, and despite the “slights” family doctors will not fail them.
The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, already has asked the autonomous communities to reinforce this level of care who is called to lead a new phase of de-escalation.
The three scientific societies that represent these professionals have long claimed this role. But it won’t be assumable if they don’t listen to your needs. The first, diagnostic tests. You cannot stop the pandemic without early detection and isolation. It is one of the few certainties learned in the few months of the global health crisis.
Test for professionals, who cannot continue working with an infection they ignore, and infecting fragile patients. Test for the population. Human and material resources, access to diagnostic tests that make them be decisive. Historical demands, most of which, if listened to, will energize a PA that knows how to be reborn from its ashes.
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