Hello again from Argentina! Today was a day packed with important and informative lectures and tours. We started with a wonderful lecture by Dra. Josefina Medrano, the former minister of health of the northern Salta providence. Josefina, the first woman in the position in her province, came to office shortly before the start of COVID-19. She mentioned that she had to work to provide care for her providence while facing what our translators described as “a word stronger than misogyny.” She mentioned the struggle to not cave to the pressure of new innovations that were constantly being pushed, without knowing how effective they were. Additionally, she had to work to foster collaboration between private and public hospitals and work to provide care to those often out of reach. A large challenge for health care coverage in Salta is the makeup of the land; there are many inaccessible areas, available only by horse with outposts as their only form of medical care. These outposts are staffed only when needed. She mentioned that many people in the area are native aboriginals, who do not speak Spanish. She had to work to intervene for these people as when the government sent information packets in their native language, they did not account for the fact that many do not read their language. This created a “loneliness of power” she said, as she was the sole decider in many aspects and had the burden of her people well well-being.

While we cannot travel up to Salta to see the public hospitals Josefina ran during her time in office, we were able to visit one of the largest and most well-known public hospitals in Buenos Aires, Hospital Fernadez. followed by a tour of a private hospital Los Arcos with medical director Dr. Jorge Lantos. While both provided quality care to their patients, both being recognized as top contenders in their system, the facade of the two hospitals was a stark contrast. It was clear that the public hospital had not been updated in quite a while whereas the private hospital was fresh and new, with granite floors and dark oak doors. The public hospital was busy and bustling, with smaller rooms but the public hospital was much quieter with each patient room coming equipped with a small separate living room and a private bathroom. To say there was a class difference between the two would be an understatement. Despite their dated rooms, the public hospital Fernandez was clearly popular with patients waiting throughout, either family or friends. We were able to fully tour the hospital and see the ICU, dialysis, and noninvasive floors. In the public hospital, however, our group size allowed us to only see a patient room because of the increased amount of privacy the facility provided.