Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • ARTICLES
    • Current Issue
    • Ahead of Print
    • Archives
    • Abstracts In Press
    • Special Issue Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • INFO FOR
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Call For Papers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • SUBMIT
    • Manuscript
    • Peer Review
  • ABOUT
    • The JABFM
    • The Editing Fellowship
    • Editorial Board
    • Indexing
    • Editors' Blog
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • Other Publications
    • abfm

User menu

Search

  • Advanced search
American Board of Family Medicine
  • Other Publications
    • abfm
American Board of Family Medicine

American Board of Family Medicine

Advanced Search

  • HOME
  • ARTICLES
    • Current Issue
    • Ahead of Print
    • Archives
    • Abstracts In Press
    • Special Issue Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • INFO FOR
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Call For Papers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • SUBMIT
    • Manuscript
    • Peer Review
  • ABOUT
    • The JABFM
    • The Editing Fellowship
    • Editorial Board
    • Indexing
    • Editors' Blog
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • JABFM on Bluesky
  • JABFM On Facebook
  • JABFM On Twitter
  • JABFM On YouTube
LetterCorrespondence

Re: The Emergence of Primary Care in Latin America: Reflections from the Field

Jana L. Nisly
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine September 2013, 26 (5) 612; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2013.05.130133
Jana L. Nisly
Amish Mennonite Aid, Santa Ana, El Salvador
MD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: erclinicjn@gmail.com
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

To the Editor:

As a physician who was trained and is licensed in the United States and is also licensed in El Salvador and has practiced in mission medicine in rural El Salvador for 20 years, I enjoyed Dr. Ventres's1 perspective on primary care in Central America. I concur with that author's observation that El Salvador does a fine job of providing community-level primary health care. Community health care promoters are providing outstanding care related to universal vaccinations, prenatal health care, environmental interventions for outbreaks of dengue fever, and hospital referrals for emergencies. Being personally acquainted with some of these promoters, I also see the unfortunate side of the efforts to improve health care outcomes: these promoters, themselves generally from impoverished communities, are frequently threatened and sometimes penalized for negative outcomes beyond their control. These rural promoters perceive themselves as being virtually voiceless and powerless in a system where the lowest tier of workforce may be easily replaced by others eager for work.

However, for the many impoverished people who will die of acute and chronic disease if they are only vaccinated and given prenatal care, El Salvador is providing inadequate health care. Our clinic is barraged with patients who left the (free) public health care system because there is no metformin available for diabetes, who continue suffering from a wheezy cough despite having (inappropriately) received amoxicillin, and whose cancers are misdiagnosed and undertreated until treatment is no longer an option. Dr. Ventres teaches in San Salvador; I understand why he doesn't experience this daily aspect of the grave limitations of the health care system. At the time when El Salvador's care of acute/chronic diseases matches the wisdom and thoroughness of their prevention of diseases, we will have a model for the world.

References

  1. 1.↵
    1. Ventres WB
    . The emergence of primary care in Latin America: reflections from the field.. J Am Board Fam Med 2013;26:183–6.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of the American Board of Family     Medicine: 26 (5)
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
Vol. 26, Issue 5
September-October 2013
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Cover (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Board of Family Medicine.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Re: The Emergence of Primary Care in Latin America: Reflections from the Field
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Board of Family Medicine
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Board of Family Medicine web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
6 + 4 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Re: The Emergence of Primary Care in Latin America: Reflections from the Field
Jana L. Nisly
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Sep 2013, 26 (5) 612; DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2013.05.130133

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Re: The Emergence of Primary Care in Latin America: Reflections from the Field
Jana L. Nisly
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Sep 2013, 26 (5) 612; DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2013.05.130133
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • References
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • Re: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Issue on Communities of Solution
  • Response: Re: The Emergence of Primary Care in Latin America: Reflections from the Field
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Hepatitis C Treatment Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Primary Care Providers—Los Angeles County, 2023
  • Re: Factors Influencing Patient Confidence in Screening Mammography
  • Re: Physician and Advanced Practice Clinician Burnout in Rural and Urban Settings
Show more Correspondence

Similar Articles

Navigate

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues

Authors & Reviewers

  • Info For Authors
  • Info For Reviewers
  • Submit A Manuscript/Review

Other Services

  • Get Email Alerts
  • Classifieds
  • Reprints and Permissions

Other Resources

  • Forms
  • Contact Us
  • ABFM News

© 2025 American Board of Family Medicine

Powered by HighWire