Today was filled with various different lectures and hospital visits around the city of Buenos Aires. We started off our day by going back to the Universidad de Austral where we had a lecture by the former Province Minister of Health from Salta, Dra. Josefina Medrano. In this, we learned about the provincial response during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how she handled the numerous different conflicts that arose. Salta is a very rural and poverty stricken province, and has a variety of different landscapes and inhabitants that makes it challenging to provide equitable and accessible care. It was very interesting to hear about how this was managed, and the creative ways in which she was able to work through the pandemic.
Following her presentation, we went to our first hospital visit where we got to speak with the former Medical Director of Hospital Fernández, Dr. Ignacio Preveigliano. In this, he talked about the many ways in which he improved the most famous and best public hospital in the city of Buenos Aires. While going on our tour, it was very interesting to compare the practices of Argentine healthcare and the United States. Delivery of care was very public and most patients did not have much privacy whatsoever. The rooms were not the most welcoming, but were still stocked with all basic medical equipment you would see in any hospital. Although the conditions didn’t seem the greatest, mainly due to our bias from American hospitals, it still appeared to be very well run and very well trusted by the public as well.
After this incredible visit and complete tour, we were introduced to a different type of restaurant that I probably would have never picked myself, but was very glad we did! They focused a lot on serving very healthy foods, with all meals being vegan and some gluten free as well. I had grilled seitan with a nice side salad, a side of what I think was a type of crunchy rice, and a lemonade with ginger to go along. I really enjoyed the vibe and style of the restaurant and the promotion of different types of vegan dishes.
After our lunch, we went to Los Arcos, which is a private hospital owned and operated by Swiss Medical Group. We met with the current medical director of Los Arcos, Dr. Jorge Lantos, who talked to us in detail about what it meant to run a private hospital, and the things that go along with it. When you walked into this hospital, you wouldn’t even think for a second that it actually was in fact a hospital. Any idea you may have in your mind is most likely wrong, as it seemed like you were walking into a five star hotel on a vacation. Each room was complete with a living room, full bathroom, and very spacious bedroom that included a couch for family. By the sounds of it, meals also sounded incredible, and patients have a dietician come around daily asking what they would like. It was crazy to see how different this was compared to the public hospital, and the differences in services and amenities provided during their stay. While I think there may be a little bit of inconvenience and cramping if there was an emergency in the room, it still had everything that any hospital bed would be equipped with.
Overall, I loved finally being able to step into two types of hospitals that we have been learning about for so long. I think that it was an eye opening experience to see how these hospitals are ran, and how they still provide very effective care even if they lack in different areas in comparison to both each other and those of the United States. I am very excited to continue going into the different hospitals and see how they each compare to each other! Buenas noches!
