This morning began with a meeting at the offices of Medifé, one of Argentina’s leading private health insurers, now known as a Health Insurance Agent. We met with Dr. Florencia Ledesma, the company’s current Health Innovation manager. She gave us an introduction to the company and its priorities, as well as diving into the current changes to the healthcare system and how it has affected the company itself. We then were given time for lunch before we concluded the rest of our meetings for the day. The next meeting was at ICBA which is a private cardiovascular institute in the city. Here, we met with the Insitute’s current Medical Director and Head of Nursing who gave us an overview of the hospital, how it operates on a day-to-day basis as well as long-term plans with the effects of inflation. Both meetings were informative, and they provided us with important information about the private sector’s priorities, pressures, and allowed us to recognize the persistent gap between the public and private healthcare in Argentina.
Following the meetings/lectures, we were then given a tour of ICBA’s facility. We toured 3 different floors all dedicated to the out-patient care of those with cardiovascular diseases, disorders, and problems. One of the physicians on the floor showed us cardiac CT angiogram footage from one of the stent procedures he performed earlier in the day. During the tour, it was very evident that there is such a stark difference between the public and private sector hospitals.
Walking through the halls of a well-equipped private hospital, such as ICBA, its very difficult to not admire the facility. The machines were extremely modern, the waiting room for before and after the operation looked like a fancy hotel, and the entire aesthetic was calm and provided much privacy for patients. The sense of comfort we gained from touring this public hospital definitely was dismissed when thinking back to the public hospitals we have toured such as Hospital de Agudos Paroissien. The resources at the public hospital are lacking in quality and updates. Emotionally, I feel awful for those who rely on the public healthcare system as the care provided in the private system is seemingly much better. The crowded hallways, waiting rooms, and patients waiting on stretchers in each corner of the hospital is just not a sight you would see at the private hospitals. This evokes a mixture of awe, but also guilt. The resources at the private hospitals strike awe as they are advanced and plentiful, but guilt is felt when you realize that this level of care is only available to a small percentage of Argentina’s population.
Pro-Tip: You must see a Tango show at least once! We concluded the day with a Tango show and dinner which was absolutely jaw-dropping and worth every dollar, or should I say peso, spent!
