ABSTRACT
The present essay sought to describe the role of Primary Healthcare (PHC) in Guatemala, discussing its limits and potentialities at public policies implementation to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Official government sources were compared to international experiences and scientific literature on PHC. A socio-demographic characterization and health system description were made, followed by stating the government’s measures to contain the pandemic. It proposes four lines to analyze the role of PHC: addressing social vulnerability, care coordination, epidemiological surveillance, and health promotion and intersectionality. It discusses the historical deficiencies of the Guatemalan health system affecting the pandemic’s management, characterized by a hospital-centered approach, temporary investment, flexible social distancing strategies, and the lack of dialogue with the population. International experience indicates that territorialized PHC with population assignment has an impact on reducing inequities, coordinating care for health promotion, strengthening epidemiological surveillance systems, and increasing intersectionality. Guatemala must recognize the potential of PHC to carry out structural and organizational reforms with intercultural, gender equity, social, and intersectional perspectives.
KEYWORDS
Primary Health Care; Coronavirus infections; Guatemala; Pandemics