Day 6 was filled with many different visits and activities. We started out the morning by visiting Sanatorio Mater Dei, a private catholic hospital in the Palermo area. They are an institution owned and managed by Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary. Although it is located in Palermo, they receive patients from all over the area, which makes sense after seeing it and the fact that they perform and have almost all medical professionals except organ transplant. This hospital performs about 60-70 surgeries a day. There was one statistic in particular that the directors and staff seemed proud of and that is their ability to maintain the birth rate at about 170-221 births/month. They explained that maintaining the birth rate is something that they are very proud of, especially because birth rates have been declining in many places. After touring this hospital the differences were clear between the sectors. This hospital was super modern and looked almost like the hospitals in the U.S. In the hospital there was a mini sanctuary of a church along with an outdoor area for patients and families to go for fresh air and a change of scenery. The hospital was also located in a nice neighborhood, which added to the overall almost “luxury” aesthetic of the hospital and surrounding area.
Our next stop was at Hospital Juan A. Fernandez. This is a public hospital, that provides free and accessible healthcare access. It serves local, regional, and vulnerable populations. The retired hospital director gave us a very interesting presentation. One thing that he and his team were very proud of was their critical care mortality rate. With 744 patients admitted, 217 did not survive, which is about 29%. That is a very strong statistic that reflects how effective the hospital’s critical care team is.
After this, we took a lunch break where I got a very good salad, and we even stopped for some gelato that was so amazing! We then had one more tour at Clinica Bazterrica. This was a very organized and modern clinic too. We got to tour the facility and even walk through the maternity ward! We also got to see the first hybrid operating room in Latin America, which the staff were very proud of.
After getting to see both public and private hospitals today, the differences in atmosphere, resources, and organization were very noticeable. The private hospital felt much more modern and calmer, while the public seemed busier and focused on caring for a larger population. Even with these differences, it was clear that all of the healthcare workers were still focused on providing the best care to their patients.