Hi everyone, I am back on day three to share our long but wonderful day filled with discussions about the cultural and political importance with a retrospect of the healthcare system. In addition, following up with important “tourist” sightseeing.

I woke up bright and early to kickstart my day with some complimentary hotel breakfast. It consisted of and little slider sandwich and a pastry. I aim to try a new pastry every day and find the best. So far, I’ve been pleased with the service and food at Breakfast, and I am excited to try more.

 Meeting with the rest of the group in the lobby to herd into the bus like cattle cows. We were only taking a short bus trip down the street to speak with Dr. Daniel Ferrante, Deputy Minister of Health of Caba. A major topic of discussion during the meeting was how the city of Buenos Aires’ efforts to advance the health care system. A recurring theme was the push to have more primary healthcare available to reach. In Argentina, many citizens go to public hospitals for routine check-ups compared to a primary care doctor. Who Would Want to sit in a hospital for hours to get results on a minor issue such as an ear infection when they could see a family physician and be out in less than an hour? The reason could be that health is a fundamental human right in Argentina; therefore, it is accessible to all but doesn’t necessarily mean coverage. He also shared that integrating technology like BOTI increased the efficacy of scheduling appointments after the pandemic. However, pushback from different Obras socials apart of the healthcare workforce is arising. The rebuttal is that less time is infested on the patients and more time on the computer tracking records.

Then we travel to meet with Dr. Luis, a past Superintendent of Health and a current director of one of the largest Obra Sociales of de Obras Sanitarias. Informing us more about the compartments and fragmented system relating to the health care system and explaining the complex Obras Sociales system. The sub-sector can be National, provincial, army base, retired, and university workers. A basic denominator in each group is that they are all workers. The more he talked, the more I realized how influential the groups known as unions in America are in regulating the health care system in South America. They act as a safety net for workers who can’t afford private healthcare. It shows power in numbers as a resolution to how many different groups there are. The influence on what they want to be provided by the healthcare services to receive want they want for their group. When you are a part of the union, your ideals are not changing constantly. You have one leader for an extended period, allowing that union able to reach their goals they have in mind.

End the day with a bus tour of La Boca, San Telmo, and Plaza de Mayo. I loved all the places, but La Boca was my favorite. It was so vibrant with colors, home to the boco junior soccer team. While walking around, I had to pick you a Lionel Messi jersey for a friend back home in the States. You cannot come to Argentina without getting one!