Today, we started bright and early with a walk over to the University of Austral. There, we heard from Dr. Josefina Medrano, the former Minister of Health of Salta during COVID-19 and a current physician with Swiss Medical. She emphasized the importance of communication during a crisis, sharing insights from her experience managing the pandemic. Her team worked with the military to create a centralized command center and established the Central Operativa de Control Seguimiento (COCS) to coordinate efforts. With a shortage of 30% in available bed spaces, they had to get creative, repurposing hallways and community centers to care for the sick.

Later, we visited the Juan A. Fernández General Hospital, a major public institution, where we spoke with the director, Dr. Previgliano. The hospital employs about 529 nurses and around 2,200 staff in total. He explained that the hospital’s core mission is to always have a bed available for whoever needs it, underscoring the hospital’s commitment to accessibility and public service. We ended the day with a visit to Swiss Medical, a high-end private hospital. We toured its state-of-the-art facilities and spoke with one of their physicians about how the private sector operates. The differences in infrastructure, resources, and patient experience compared to the public hospital were clear.

When comparing the social gradient in health and healthcare between the United States and Argentina, both countries show disparities in access and outcomes based on socioeconomic status. In Argentina, the public healthcare system is designed to be universally accessible, which helps reduce some barriers for low-income populations. However, those with greater means often seek care in the private sector, which generally offers more comfort, shorter wait times, and more advanced technology, creating a two-tiered experience. Similarly, in the U.S., individuals with higher income and private insurance tend to receive more comprehensive care, while low-income groups face more barriers, despite governmental systems like Medicaid. The key difference is that Argentina has a constitutionally guaranteed right to health, which creates more of a legal foundation for universal care, even if implementation varies by region and socioeconomic status. In contrast, the U.S. lacks a universal healthcare mandate, and access is more tightly linked to employment and insurance coverage.