Today we dove into the public side of Argentine health and education. We started off with a 45 minute bus ride to Hospital ​​Paroissien. The environment was much more casual than I had expected. As we passed through the hospital, we saw sections where incense was burning, cats (who we later found out were the pets of patients) were napping in nooks, and patients beds were sitting close together. While these things seemed very against regulations typical in the United States, they created a homey and welcoming atmosphere. That being said, the people guiding us on the tour mentioned that people usually come in to schedule an appointment for later, which was a great contrast to the private hospitals that provided quick care. Also, while some rooms in private hospitals can be mistaken for a hotel, here it was not unusual to see a cracked window. 

The gap between the private and public healthcare sectors brings up the idea of equality versus equity. While equality is treating everyone the same, equity involves breaching the gap for different groups of people to ensure that everyone is on the same level. Supporting an equitable system means directing attention to where it is needed most. In this case, those who rely on the public health sector are low-income and unable to join a union or pay for access to a private hospital. People who rely on the public hospital are also more likely to return since they live in worse conditions. Equality would be the government providing funding to every hospital, but Argentina demonstrates its mission to attain equity through the government funding the public hospitals and the expectation that the other sectors contribute to the public sector as well. However, while universal health care is a large step towards equity, it does not completely breach the gap between public and private care. More funds and attention will need to be directed toward the public sector to compensate.

Our second destination for the day was Universidad Nacional de La Matanza, a public university in Argentina. Similar to Argentina’s healthcare system, education is offered for free at public universities, with some wealthier families opting to pay for private education. The majority of the student population at UNLaM is composed of first-generation college students, which is essential to helping shrink the wealth gap by giving students a chance to learn and progress regardless of their income levels. We were given a tour of the campus, and it was clear how involved the university was with their community. Students had a station where they taught people basic CPR skills, and a few of us had a chance to practice as well. We also saw a 3d printing lab where students and the community are taught about this technology and could work on developing models. Many of the models shown today were geared towards the medical field, and some can be seen below. I wonder how what we saw here will contrast with a private university. What are the key differences, and how does it affect career outcomes? Does Argentina’s education successfully achieve equity? In the meantime, I will be layering up for the upcoming boat trip. ¡Hasta mañana!