Day 2 in Buenos Aires! We had a very long and eventful day. I learned so much useful information and was introduced to so many amazing healthcare professionals. The day started off with the most amazing hotel breakfast ever that consisted of jam, rolls, fresh fruit, cheese, cold cuts, pastries, and fresh squeezed orange juice. After breakfast we took a bus to Sanatorio de los Arcos (a private hospital) and jumped right into lectures and introductions from Dr. Gabriel Novick and then Dr. Luis Gimenez. After a tasty lunch at Bio we went back to the hospital and had one last talk from Grant about Advanced Practice Nursing. After getting back to the hotel I rested for a while and then a group of us went to a delicious dinner at Dandy’s across the street.

Dr. Novick’s presentation was very informative and I learned a ton about the healthcare system of Argentina. I was introduced to Swiss Medical Group, the different sectors, healthcare challenges, health insurance, and the idea of equality vs. equity. One thing in specific that he brought up was the analogy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This relates to Argentina’s healthcare because both are fragmented. Argentina’s healthcare is fragmented into governance, jurisdictional, legal, financial, and interests & goals. The different sectors don’t really communicate and that prevents a coherent system. Each are effective on its own but if a person goes from a public ambulatory clinic to a private hospital then the doctors don’t communicate and it may be hard to bill the patient correctly based on their insurance and providers.

Building off of this idea of fragmentation, each sector has its own rules and regulations that vary from clinic to clinic and sector to sector. Also, the interests & goals of public vs. private are very different. The public clinics are more geared towards serving the general population who are in need and experiencing medical emergencies. The private hospitals seem like they are more focused on serving the higher class citizens and introducing comfier and nicer accommodations in order to gain more of a profit. And as Dr. Novick described it, there is, “More coverage without a solid base.” And without this solid base of communication, standard regulations, and legal stability, the healthcare system will inevitably crash.

While the Argentine healthcare system is extremely fragmented, there are some benefits to this system. Care in Argentina is varied and you can get cheap, basic care up to expensive and quick care. There is obviously room for improvement and growth within Argentine healthcare for the coming years. And while Frankenstein was endearing in some ways, a few nuts and bolts could be adjusted to improve his function, just like Argentine healthcare.