People working in Paroissien Hospital, a public hospital in Matanza.
What a great day in Matanza, Argentina! I had a very good experience the entire day. I tried an omelet for breakfast and it was lovely. There is so much good food to try, so I am working my way through it over the two weeks. I got a little more sleep on our hour bus ride to the Universidad de la Matanza. We arrived and immediately went to a public hospital in the area. I appreciated the variety of hospitals we are touring as it has been very informative to compare the facilities. Dr. Fabiana Lartigue, the director of the maternal unit, gave us a tour. She is also the head of the Health Science Department at the university, so this was a perfect example of someone who is a part of two Obras Sociales. I spoke with her about her healthcare coverage and she states that she also has private insurance in addition to the two Obras Sociales. As we went around the hospital, I was surprised to see cats within the building. One was on a beam in the ceiling and another was on the floor outside of a patient’s room. Apparently cats and dogs are within this public hospital fairly often and the locals do not find it very strange. I love my dog Darwin, but I don’t think he would be the best inside a hospital, especially since he is the weight of a fourth grader.
Salma and I looking at the simulation lab in Universidad de la Matanza.
Me holding the simulation lab baby. Shoutout to Elise for her baby holding skills!
Following the hospital visit, we went to the Universidad de la Matanza. This is a public university and much of the class are first generation students. We got to tour the campus and I found it was much larger than I thought. The school had around 60,000 students and it was completely free to the public. Due to low budgets, yet high enrollment, the university had to think of effective ways to spend money. I was impressed with the use of 3D models within the curriculum. As a nursing major, I use lots of material to practice nursing skills before we actually do them on a patient. At a booth outside, some nursing students allowed me to draw blood from a fake arm. They were extremely helpful and I was successful! Later on the tour, I saw that the arm I used was 3D printed, which lowered the cost by one hundred times. Typical hospital material is so expensive, so I was impressed that the university is making it themselves and improving the materials to fit their specific needs.
A student nurse helping me draw fake blood from an arm.
The 3D printing lab with the arms they create themselves!
I have learned a lot about the Argentine healthcare system the past couple of days. I have been thinking a lot about the question if it promotes or impedes inequity. I feel like the answer is not that easy. It almost simultaneously does both. When compared to the United States, I would say Argentina has less inequity because everyone has access to healthcare. Any single person can walk into a hospital and receive treatment. I do not want to overlook that simple statement, because that is so amazing. Even after speaking with various demographics of people, the quality of care across the sectors does not waver, but the wait times are what drives many people to the private sector. However, since there is a private sector, this promotes inequity. Individuals with higher incomes are taking their care and putting it into exclusive buildings for only those with higher financial status. That is the basis of inequity. Since all these people are paying for private insurance, their money’s not being poured into the public sector. During one of our lectures, we learned that the Obras Sociales had a shift and began to contract with private hospitals. Imagine the difference if they worked with public hospitals. Instead of putting the money into private institutions, the pre-existing and successful public hospitals could have improved to reach more people without long wait times. However, as the span of coverage for healthcare continues, this leads to further inequity. Overall, as much as Argentina’s healthcare system greatly improves access, not everyone is served equally.
Dr. Juan Carlos Verardi teaching us about Universidad de la Matanza!
Following the tour and short lesson about both the University of Pittsburgh and Universidad de la Matanza, we got to interact with students of the different schools. I seriously loved this so much. I took years of Spanish in high school, yet I am very far from truly speaking the language. It comforted me that the students knew little English, so I dove into a conversation. I spoke with four students from the university for over 30 minutes. We talked about our families, school, sports, and random facts about ourselves. It was so cool to see that I could communicate even with my little knowledge of the language. I hope I can continue to learn more directly from individuals within Argentina over the next week!
Maria and I with some of the students we talked to.
Me and Eugenia, a 5th year nursing student at Universidad de la Matanza.