Started off the day on the right foot with a nice bagel and short ride to have a lecture with Dr. Florencia Ledesma about Obras Social de Direccion, but more specifically about Medife and Ase Obras Social. Here we talked a lot about the specifics of this system and how these are mandatory contributory social health insurance schemes. They provide coverage to formal sector workers and their family members. Medife and Ase are specific social health insurance funds in Argentina. These funds provide healthcare coverage to specific groups of workers or industries. For example, Medife mostly serves employees in the engineering and materials science industry, while Ase focuses on the energy sector. These funds play a very crucial part in ensuring the people have access to healthcare services for their members. Some of their challenges entailed during the COVID-19 pandemic when Medife experienced a surge in demand for telehealth services, leading to the need for their digital infrastructure to accommodate the increased appointments. Ase also faced the challenge of meeting diverse member needs while maintian quality, but as a solution they offer adaptable plans like ECO which covered transplants, mental health, and just treatments in general. After this, we went back to IES to take a quick break and have some lunch, and then were off to visit a special private clinic and meet with the ICBA medical director/head of nursing. This is a renowned healthcare institution that specializes in the treatment of cardiovascular conditions. They cater definitely towards patients who has health insurance or social security plans as well as referrals from both Argentina and around the world. 

After this, we took an adventure to the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires. This museum extraordinarily collected, conserved, and raised awareness of Latin American art from the early 20th century to present. The museum included paintings, sculptures, photographs, as well as engravings by significant Latin American artists. It was quite clear that the MALBA’s impact extends farther beyond its walls and contributes the international cultural map and is home to artistic appreciation within the community. 

Overall very good day, excited for more museums tomorrow!