Today felt like a classic fall day with the sun shining and a cool breeze. We made our way to Austral University around 9 am for a presentation from Josephina Medrano about her role in managing healthcare in Salta. I found this presentation inspiring because Medrano was a woman in a high position of power. She spoke about the challenges she faces in a male-dominated field that comes with a sense of imposter syndrome at times. After her presentation, the group made its way to Hospital Fernandez, which is one of the largest public hospitals in Buenos Aires. This hospital was much less renovated and equipped that a U.S. hospitals. One thing that was different was that many family members would sit gathered in the hallways of the hospital, taking up space for staff to walk by. In the United States, I thought that this would never slide because of the risk of fire hazard among other safety concerns. The group was shown the entire hospital, and we were even allowed to peek in the rooms of patients on every unit. It felt like we were violating their privacy, but it was explained that a system like HIPAA does not really exist in general hospitals in Argentina. The demographic was different as well compared to the private hospital that we visited later that day. The people in the public hospital were low to middle income citizens, and one man that stood out to me was handcuffed to his bed side railing while police man accompanied him in his room. Additionally, the staff did not wear matching scrubs or seem to have any type of uniform requirements. This was all reversed when we went to the private hospital. Upon arrival, I didn’t know that we were standing right outside the hospital because it looked more like a five star hotel or resort. Los Arcos was the name of the hospital, and it was associated with the Swiss Medical group. The lobby had a nice area with couches and comfy chairs for the patients to wait to be seen. Additionally, every room in the hospital was a suite with two rooms and a bathroom. The families of patients could say with their loved ones in the suite and even order room service. Visiting the private hospital opened my eyes to the discrepancies in health coverage in Argentina. Because even though their healthcare is universal, those with insurance receive a drastically higher quality of care.
May 8: Hospital Visits
