Last day of hospital visits! We started the day off with a presentation from Dr. Medrano, the former Minister of Health for the province of Salta. Her presentation covered the challenges that arose from the COVID pandemic during her term and how the province faced geographic difficulties. We then made our way to Fernández Public Hospital for a tour from the director, Dr. Previgliano. Compared to the public hospital at La Matanza, the interior was much nicer. The technology was up-to-date, and the facility was clean and well-maintained. Dr. Previgliano also discussed the problems he faced during the COVID pandemic and how innovations such as noninvasive ventilation technology helped to significantly decrease mortality rates. He also mentioned that roughly 30% of patients that attend the hospital are from outside of the area. This goes to show the lack of local care outside of Buenos Aires. However, he was very proud to share that they have done very well managing the amount of beds available and actually has an abundance of staff.

For our last hospital of the day (and trip), we went to Los Arcos Private Hospital, run by Swiss Medical. Similar to other private hospitals we’ve seen, the interior had a very modern look and was very comfortable for patients and their families. Surgical teams had state-of-the-art technology available to them in the operating rooms, and post-op care rooms looked like a stay at a deluxe hotel with a window view and a private, furnished room for the families. This hospital receives incredible results and gives high-quality care to all attending patients. It was amazing to see how well developed this hospital was, as well as the other private facilities we’ve visited.

As we observe the healthcare system in Argentina, it has been easy to make connections to our own system in the US. The concept of “social gradient” has been especially compared in many of our lectures and is a concept that relates to the inequalities faced by people with different socioeconomic states. In Argentina, quality and access to care vary greatly depending on socioeconomic status, with wealthier individuals often relying on faster, higher-quality care through the private sector and obras sociales. Similarly, in the US, access to healthcare is closely tied to income and employment, with those in lower-income brackets facing more barriers, such as lack of insurance or high out-of-pocket costs. In both countries, individuals with fewer resources (such as residents on the outskirts of Buenos Aires) are more likely to experience worse health outcomes and have less access to preventive care. These patterns reflect the social gradient in health, where each step up in social status typically leads to better health, highlighting how social and economic inequalities are deeply connected to health disparities faced by both countries. Tomorrow will be a fun day at a ranch! I’ll be back again with more updates then. Adios amigos.