| Abstract: | The deterioration of the Argentine public health system has lead to an increase in
non-governmental involvement in the provision of health services. The emerging
relationship between these sectors is filled with tensions, contradictions, and negotiations,
reflecting the historical trajectory of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the
transformations of the public health system. These problems are specifically evident in
programs that focus on pediatric oncology treatment due to the fact that ideas about
childhood, chronic disease, and mortality construct an unusual collaborative framework
between governmental and non-governmental healthcare professionals. Pediatric cancer
contradicts traditional notions of childhood; it points out the ambivalences associated
with death; and represents a challenge to biomedical practice.
This thesis provides a historical reconstruction of pediatric medicine in Argentina
with an emphasis on the involvement of non-governmental actors in treatment and
policymaking. Furthermore, it presents an analysis of the discourses and practices of the
staff of an NGO that collaborates with 5 public hospitals in Buenos Aires, providing
medical treatment, psychotherapy, and other forms of assistance to pediatric oncology
patients and their families. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the main
difficulties experienced by the NGO’s staff members and the strategies they used to deal
with problems. By carrying out thirty open-ended structured interviews and participant
observation in two public hospitals in Buenos Aires, the research indicated that the main
problems were the lack of training on medical procedures and hospital policies received
by the staff and the fact that they were not offered counseling to cope with the emotional
consequences of working with pediatric oncology patients and their families. As a
consequence, many staff members experienced feelings of frustration and abandoned the
organization prematurely, affecting the type of services provided to the children and their
families. This information was formulated into a report with recommendations for
improving the training offered to the staff and the internal communication of the
organization.
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