Today, we met with the past Minister of Health for Salta. After meeting with many different representatives, it was pleasant to hear the voice of a woman in power. She represented one of the poorest providences in Argentina. A large percentage of the population in Salta is indigenous and unfortunately, during the Pandemic, flyers were distributed in their native language; however, most indigenous people aren’t capable of reading or writing in the respective languages. In addition, in Salta, there are puestos fijos, which are programs for basic health provided by “agente sanitarios”.

After the presentation about Salta, we visited two different hospitals from the public and private sectors. The first hospital we visited was the Fernandez Public Hospital. The tour and lecture was led by the previous director. When I entered the hospital, I was surprised by the amount of security. For example, there was a police force outside the building and inside, there were bag checks. In addition, there was a high frequency of nursing or medical students, performing their clinical assignments. For example, a student stated that every student have 2 hours worth of classes before an additional 2 hours worth of clinical work. In addition, in order to receive an education at that hospital, their GPA must be 8.5 and above. Furthermore, the demographic of the hospital was mostly the indigenous population with low socioeconomic status. Hence, the hospital only produces 3-5,000 dollars worth of profit every year. Alternatively, Los Arcos Private Hospital was one of the most exquisite hospitals I have ever seen. The floors were marble and the hospital beds were located in suites. Supposedly, patients don’t want to return home due to the luxury of those suites, especially new mothers. At the end of the day, my crew and I went to grab dinner at Santos Manjares again. The steak was fantastic as usual. I decided to try the Bife de Lomo, which is Filet Mignon.