I had a great day today in Buenos Aires. We definitely had a lot of bumps along the way today, but running late tends to happen often in Argentina, and we were able to be flexible with our schedule.

Due to traffic from an accident, we went in separate taxis to Sanatorio Arcos. The driving in Buenos Aires is definitely a lot more chaotic and unorganized than driving in the US, but it was a cool thing to see and be a part of the hustle and bustle of the city. Once we arrived, we received a talk from Dr. Josefina Medrano, who was the Ministry of Health of the province of Salta. This lecture was vital since we had only heard from the city and national Ministries of Health. As Dr. Medrano continued to explain her experience in Salta, I realized that the provincial governments have a great amount of power. She had the power to make all of the decisions for the province of Salta, and this was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Salta suffered much more than other provinces, so they needed different care and more planning. They were able to do implement their own necessary action plans because of Argentina’s implementation of federalism. The National Ministry of Health has little control over what the provinces do, which ultimately makes the healthcare planning and process up to each individual province. The National Ministry of Health’s main job is to distribute money to the provinces from the world banks, and make sure each province gets adequate funds based on the standing of healthcare in that province. Federalism in Argentina draws a clear line between different levels of government. Since provincial governments have so much control, decision-making and healthcare looks different among each province.

During our visit to Hospital Fernandez, one of the best public hospitals in the country, we received a lecture from the director by the name of Ignacio. He showed us around the hospital as well. However, this tour was much different compared to Swiss Medical, as we saw patients in the ICU and ER, which was very eye-opening, but also felt quite uncomfortable. The United States makes a huge emphasis on HIPAA, so it felt like a huge violation of the patients’ privacy. HIPAA does not exist in Argentina, so I guess the culture is a bit different here. Even though it was a little bit uncomfortable, it was a cool experience that I would have never been able to do anywhere else, so I am grateful for that.

Lunch at IES was nice and relaxing, and then we went on a walking tour through the town of Recoleta, including the famous cemetery. It was beautiful there, and I enjoyed learning about the history of the different mausoleums. Later, Ann, Elise, and I got ice cream from Freddo which was super good and a great way to end the day. See you tomorrow!