Day 9 in Buenos Aires! Today, we had a meeting with Dr. Florencia, who taught us about Medife. Medife is an organization that provides health insurance and services to people in Argentina. It is a prepaid medicine company, meaning it is private insurance. We learned about how they also had a partnering organization called ASE for obras sociales, but that has decreased due to changing political policies. Then, we went to ICBA, which is the Instituto Cardiovascular of Buenos Aires. It is a private hospital that specializes in cardiovascular conditions. We had a lecture, learning about the objectives of the hospital and about the nursing staff. After the lecture, we were given a tour of the hospital by the nurses and physicians. We were given a tour of the cath lab, where they do catheter related surgeries. The physician giving us the tour, showed us a video of his last coronary bypass surgery. It was extremely cool to see. ICBA has definitely been the nicest hospital we have visited so far.

Walking through a very nice private hospital after visiting several public ones felt like stepping into two different worlds. In the public hospitals, there was a raw sense of effort everywhere: chipped paint on the walls, outdated equipment, and crowded waiting rooms. And yet, the doctors and nurses carried themselves with so much passion and strength, doing their best with what little they had. In the private hospital, everything felt cleaner, quieter, and calmer. It was almost like it was a whole different world. The contrast was shocking. I realized it wasn’t just about resources, it was about dignity and comfort. Emotionally, it left me shaken. And as a student, it reminded me why it matters to keep learning about equity.