Another day in the books for Plus3 Nursing in Argentina! Today we went back to Swiss Medical Group to receive a lecture from Dra. Marcela Travaglini, who is the health manager of a mutual association known as Sancor. This topic was completely different than anything else we had learned about so far, and I found it quite engaging. I had never heard of a mutual association before, but apparently there are similar systems in the United States known as healthcare sharing ministries. Both systems share the same idea: “You help me, I help you.” Mutuals are a voluntary association that are not federally regulated. There is a board administration run by the members themselves, who come up with an annual fee that all members pay to help each other.
We learned a lot about the different benefits of joining a mutual as well. Mutuals are non-profit organizations, so all the money goes into keeping the association running and meeting the association’s objectives. Dr. Travaglini emphasized that mutual associations provide social assistance in addition to health services, whereas insurance companies only provide healthcare. Mutuals have philosophical benefits as well, such as enforcing the idea that this is a way to love your neighbor, not risk pool with people you don’t know in an insurance plan. Even though the mutual association may be large like Sancor, there are sub-mutuals that break up the organization into more local, personable sections with people you actually know. Overall, I enjoyed learning about this concept and seeing a whole different side of Argentina’s healthcare system.
After our lecture at Swiss Medical, we headed to Instituto Cardiovascular, which is a private cardiology center. We met with some doctors who shared what they value most at this institute, such as patient experience, teamwork, and innovation. We also were able to see some parts of the clinic such as the cath lab and patient lounge. My immediate observation was how fancy and modern this clinic was. It was at the complete opposite side of the spectrum compared to the public hospitals we saw. Although it was a very nice place, it made me kind of sad to think about all of the poor people struggling to find healthcare in the lower quality public hospitals.
We then went to a museum called Museo de los Inmigrantes. It actually served as a hotel for the immigrants when they first came to Argentina. It was really cool to see the different rooms and pictures, and learn more about the history of Argentina.
To finish off the day, Elise, Ann, and I did some shopping. We found some nice jewelry and leather goods. Today was another long day, but now it’s time to go work on my presentation! See everyone tomorrow!
