I woke up and immediately knew that something definitely wasn't right. My vision was a bit blurry, my eyes had this sore, sandy feeling, and the sunshine that was bursting through my window seemed way brighter and harsh than it usually did at 5 in the morning. I sleepily stumbled into the bathroom and my fears were confirmed- my eyes definitely had some sort of infection. I had been battling a cold for the last week and assumed that my latest symptom was just another progression of a particularly aggressive cold. I called up my academic director and being the wonderful woman that she is, she told me she would take me to the doctors that afternoon. This made me, and my mom back in the States, feel much better as part of my hesitancy of going to the doctors earlier in the week had been not knowing how to use my month of Portuguese to get myself through Brazil's lovely health care system.
My classmates joked that now I would have a chance to see healthcare in Brazil in action... the ultimate "case study". As studying health in Brazil is the main focus of my program, I too thought it would be interesting to make observations on the type of care that I, along with others in the doctor's office I was going to, were receiving. After arriving at one of Salvador's many hospitals, one that is a part of SUS (Brazil's healthcare system), we were told that an eye specialist was not available for emergency care. The receptionist told us that the best place to go would be to a private medical center that was just around the corner. As I looked around the waiting room, I saw a crowd of people scattered about, each waiting their turn to be seen for free as public healthcare services in Brazil are free for everyone.
Long story short, I went to this private eye center and after paying quite a bit of money up front and a little wait time, I was brought in for a consultation, told I needed antibiotics, given a prescription and sent on my merry way. Walking back out to our car, we passed by the hospital’s waiting room again. It was still crowded and full of people who probably wouldn't be seen for quite some time. Like I said before, SUS is Brazil's public healthcare system. According to Brazil's 1988 constitution that was written post- military dictatorship, healthcare is a citizen's right and it is the government's responsibility to provide universal, equitable, and decentralized healthcare to all citizens for free. As you can imagine, in theory this sounds great but in practice, there are a lot of issues with the implementation of the system. In Bahia, for those that are of a higher socioeconomic class and have money, access to quality care is never an issue because they can afford private medical insurance. For those who are living in poverty however, this is not a luxury that they can afford. Of those living in poverty in Bahia, 84% of them are afro Brazilian, resulting in the health of the Black population being some of the worst.
Yes, I got to see some of Brazil’s healthcare in action, but I really only got to see what it’s like for those who live a privileged life. It made me aware once again of where I come from, how my race plays into my experiences here in Brazil, and how healthcare in Brazil still has a ways to go. In 3 weeks I will begin my research into the effectiveness of community organizations in preventing drug use among adolescents. Because there is a lack of care for the afro Brazilian population, prevention of health problems at the community level is key for ensuring the health of the population until something can be done structurally to change the racial stratification that plagues the healthcare system. As I plan out my research, I use every experience to build a foundation on which I will start from. Everyday here has something new to teach us, we just have to be open to learning.