Hi everyone!! As per usual, today was a jam packed day that started with getting on the bus at 8am. Today we focused on the private sector during our lectures. Our first stop was Sanatorio de Los Arcos to speak with Dr. Marcela Travaglini, the medical manager of Sancor Mutual Association.

Founded in 1973, Sancor Mutual Association is currently composed of almost 700,000 members in Argentina. The main principles of SMA are solidarity, democratic participation, and mutual benefit. During the interactive lecture, Dr. Travaglini explained the difference between mutualism and health insurance. Before day, I didn’t know anything about mutualism, and to be quite honest I still don’t really understand it fully. The Argentine law says mutualism is a non-profit, reciprocal entity that focuses on solidarity. Unlike typical health insurance, mutualism’s administration is managed by the members themselves. It was interesting to me that mutualism is funded by membership fees and contribution from the members, whereas health insurance is financed through obligation contributions from workers and employers. Although my family uses the typical health insurance, there are some benefits of joining a mutual. With a mutual, one has more support from members of the community. When someone is in need, the community members of the mutual pitch in to help the person in need of financial help. Mutuals also ensure financial protection against unexpected medical costs. Overall, mutualism was a completely new concept today, but it seems to be working in Argentina.

We then made our way to the Instituto Cardiovascular. It was an interesting lecture because it was finally business oriented! The doctors and medical personnel explained the mission, values, and vision of the institution. This directly correlated to classes I took at Pitt last semester, and it was cool being able to connect that information to the real world. During the lecture, we got to see live footage of a heart surgery! I think they were inserting a pacer into the heart. We then took a quick tour of the hospital. The hospital went for a more “airport lounge” feel, so it didn’t look like a typical hospital.

A pic of the heart surgery happening, I figured my mom and grandma would appreciate this!

We then toured an immigration museum. Throughout the tour, we learned about how people all around the world immigrated to Argentina in the late 1800s early 1900s to seek better opportunities. Did you know Argentina used to be the third richest country in the world? This was a great opportunity for those looking to start over or make a better live for themselves. I was especially interested in learning about Italian immigration because I am Italian! Argentina has a very European feel to it, and this immigration period largely contributes to that. I enjoyed how the museum had historical artifacts along with contemporary art. I’m not a huge fan of museums, so having a variety of things to look at made it more fun for me!

Here are some pics from the museum

Can you believe there’s only three more days here? This trip has flown by! I’ll be back tomorrow to share how our last site visits of the program go. Hasta luego!