Today was day five in Buenos Aires!! We started the day off with a tango lesson in the IES building. It was so cool to learn from professionals and get a taste of the talent this art takes. Following this, we took a break for lunch before heading to La Matanza. We started at Paroissien Hospital, where we got to hear from the directors of the hospital and receive a tour of the facility. This is a public hospital and doesn’t have the most up-to-date equipment, but it does have very dedicated workers. This hospital partners with the Universidad Nacional de La Matanza. We went to visit the university, where we got to see their nursing program’s simulations. They told us about their program, and we also discussed the public system as a whole. Meeting the nurses in the other program was very interesting, and they were very welcoming.
Federalism is the distribution of powers across different levels. This system is found in both the United States and Argentina. In Argentina, power is divided into federal, provincial, and municipal levels. The two public hospitals we’ve visited so far are San Isidro and Paroissien Hospital. San Isidro is funded by the municipality, whereas Paroissien is funded by the province. San Isidro is located in a wealthier area, is smaller, and has a nicer facility. Paroissien is more rundown, serves nearly two million people, and cares for more individuals living in poverty. San Isidro receives more funding from the wealthy residents who live there through taxes, while Paroissien is in need of more funding but doesn’t receive it from the province. This creates the issue of public hospitals in lower-income areas being unable to run programs that assist their communities in staying healthy.
See you tomorrow!!
