Today was a busy day filled with a lot of new information. We learned about private medicine clinics, a home for children, and the healthcare system of Austral Hospital. Also, the I share system that goes along with healthcare.
Focusing specifically on how income inequality impacts how healthcare is delivered in Argentina is a very interesting. Starting off with the day we stopped at Tomas Reggio Primary Health, which was a private health clinic funded by 3 major places. Municipality, Austral University, and the community. These are 3 pretty important funding opportunities for them because one, the municipality is on the poorer side of things, and it really does not fund many other things in the neighborhood, which then leads to poorer living conditions and health safety. So getting money to be able to afford these tools needed for the clinic is very helpful for them. Also, having Austral help out gives them more stability on top of that. Now the community is where it gets a little different. They encourage people to donate if they can. But living in the neighborhood, they already do not have much. So the income inequality in that specific neighborhood does hurt the clinic, because that place is home to a lot of people primary care, so if they don’t have the donation/funding they need, then it becomes hard for them to get their medicine and care. They also have volunteer doctors, so when the economy is shifting all the time and puts people out of jobs, it is hard to maintain staffing, especially when it is a volunteer type of deal.
Next, we went to Austral and learned about the healthcare system and insurance. I noticed that Austral Health has top-tier care and really has a lot of specialties when it comes to healthcare. What really stood out to me with healthcare in general is how companies cannot charge people more money when they are sicker or taking up more time or needs. The insurance companies are not making much of a profit with these plans, but it does give the Argentinian people affordable coverage. People who don’t have health insurance, if they can’t afford do still have to pay out of pocket at these hospitals, which can be a little tricky to move around. Overall, the healthcare system seems to be broken, as it is in many places around the world, but day by day, they try to make it better for the people around them. I didn’t really notice any problems with people not being able to afford some sort of healthcare or being able to go see a doctor anywhere.
But in general, people who live in lower-income neighborhoods still seemed to be doing okay with what they are able to get. The clinic was a very well-kept and well-run place of business and still had all the necessary equipment and tools for people who need primary checks, physicals, a dentist, an EKG, etc. The healthcare insurance system definitely needs some work, but overall, this is mainly what I noticed today.
