Day 2! Our first stop today was to the Tomas Reggio Primary Health Center, a healthcare facility funded primarily by municipalities and donations. They offer free yearly checkups for children, as well as other free services and medicines for other general patients. They rely solely on paper records, and all patient clinical histories were written and organized into filing cabinets. There was also a spot for women to pray to Mary to help with the birth of their babies, as this facility is run by Catholic nuns. It is located in a very poor area, with all of the nurses and doctors being volunteers, so a mobile truck with pediatricians has to stop by in order to provide the people with the care they need. There is also a house nearby for the mothers of children who need prolonged treatment to live in. 

We then visited Santa Marta Children’s Home next door, getting the opportunity to meet and play with the children living in the area. It was a fun opportunity to interact with local children and practice our Spanish! They were so sweet, running up to all of us to give hugs. 

Then, at the Universidad de Austral, we were provided with a delicious lunch of empanadas, and we got the opportunity to talk to students about the similarities and differences between Argentina’s healthcare system and the American healthcare system. The main differences we discussed were the fact that doctors are all volunteers and the records were all paper at Tomas Reggio Primary Health Center. 

We explored the Austral Hospital and sat for speakers. My main takeaway from today is that Argentina has a very complicated healthcare system with a large public system, both funded and regulated by the government. Income inequality is very prevalent and significantly impacts how healthcare in Argentina is provided. Those who pay for private insurance, such as Swiss Medical Insurance, have priority in getting a bed at the Austral Hospital. Those who are unable to pay for the private system go to the Public Hospitals. It was also interesting to discover that a more sick person is not able to be charged more than a healthy person for healthcare. Everyone is charged exactly the same. 

Further, the system is extremely inefficient. One example of this is how the private hospitals must solely rely on privately-owned ambulance companies. If an injured person is picked up by a public hospital ambulance, then they must be taken to a public hospital. If the injured person has Swiss Medical Insurance or other private insurance that gives them priority at a private hospital, then they must then wait to then be picked up by a private ambulance to be transferred to a private hospital. This is a process that is overly complicated and takes extra time. Also, it is important to note that the average cost for private healthcare is much less than it should be, as it barely covers the cost for care. There is also a large expectation gap, as the general people have higher expectations than what they are paying for.