Today, we had the morning free to do some exploring since there was a flood at the ranch. A group of us went to go look around and shop at La Boca. We were able to go into a bunch of shops and get gifts for our families. The streets were full of vendors and people playing music. I’m so glad we had the time to go explore again. We than had to meet back at the hotel for a walking tour with the same tour guide we had early this week. We walked through the city of Buenos Aires specifically the neighborhoods Retiro and Recoleta. Our first stop was the Plaza San Martin and his role in getting independence from France. After walking around for a little, we saw a memorial of the soldiers who died in the war against Britain over Argentinian Islands. We saw many other pretty streets and historically sites. After about an hour of walking, we got to this very beautiful church which is one of the oldest in the area. Our last stop of the day was of the Recoleta cemetery. This is such a big cemetery that you must have a tour guide with you in fear of people getting lost. It was full of mausoleums, all unique and special for each person. After the tour, we were able to stay in Recoleta to walk around and explore the food market.
Juan Perón was a key figure in building and expanding Argentina’s healthcare system. He was elected as the 29th president in 1946 and stayed in office until he was overthrown in 1955 for rising concerns towards him becoming a dictator. Perón believed that access to medical care should not be based on class or income. Under his administration, the Argentine government took a large role in providing free or low cost healthcare to all citizens, especially for the working class and poor. To ensure country wide access, his administration invested heavily in building public hospitals, clinics and health centers. Perón also promoted preventative health care campaigns including vaccination drives and controlling infectious diseases. The Eva Perón Foundation, which was ran by his wife, also contributed significantly to the success of this structure. They helped with the funding hospitals and distribution of medical supplies to underserved communites. One of his most important contributions to the healthcare system was the creation and expansion of Obras Sociales, which is a network of union run health insurance programs. These were developed to promote labor rights and social welfare for workers. Each labor union manages is own health fund which is financed through employer and employee payroll contributions. The unions than used these funds to provide healthcare services to its members and their families. This moved the system away from the control of one central authority and put it in the hands of the individual unions.
