Today is our final day in Argentina. The last two weeks have been a very full experience and I never would have expected for them to pass so fast. I’ve been able to experience a whole new culture and gain knowledge on an interesting government and health care system. We were so lucky to be able to talk to leaders of the Argentinian health care system and get their hospitality. And it was all the more exciting to be doing everything alongside great friends.
Culturally, the most interesting thing I learned was how friendly Argentinian people are. Despite the fact that we were always traveling in a loud and large group, people treated us warmly and were very curious about us. Every hotel and even restaurants like McDonalds had door openers, and when we were welcomed into different universities and hospitals they were excited to help us learn. Additionally, healthcare is treated as a fundamental right here. This is so different from America, where healthcare has been consumed by capitalism and care is so disproportionate. While quality of care is still disproportionate in Argentina, there is so much more of an emphasis on health treatment and access is one of the primary goals of many hospitals here.
However, their approach has led to many financial struggles within the public sector, which carries the burden of caring for the underprivileged. It’s devastating that a system and culture dedicated towards helping everyone cannot function in the long term.
I am highly interested to see what happens in the future and whether Milei’s policies in increasing private healthcare will hurt or help the people. Truly, all the people we met have a passion for what they are doing and I hope their efforts are successful in building a better health landscape.
I am so thankful for this program and all the people I’ve been able to meet along the way. I’ve learned so much and will always remember the memories and journeys our group went on together.
