Today we visited three different institutions. First we visited Sanatorio Mater Dei, which is a private catholic hospital located in the wealthy Palermo neighborhood. It is a private and nonprofit, and funded by private health insurance. The hospital has five floors, eight operating rooms, and focuses heavily on maintaining their high birth rates. This was a very nice hospital, and I was very impressed by everything I saw there.

Next, we visited Hospital Fernandez. This is a free public hospital funded by the city of Buenos Aires. Anyone can walk in and receive care, regardless of insurance or residency. Due to the free care this hospital is extremely busy, and 38% of people come to Hospital Fernandez from other provinces. People feel safe coming here, and 65% of people who come to the ER don’t actually face emergencies, but they are willing to wait for care. This is the only public hospital that offers fetal surgery. They are affiliated with Buenos Aires university, which allows them to be a hybrid academic system. They used COVID-19 as a catalyst to jumpstart their structural transformation.

Last we visited the Clinical Bazzterrica. This was a private clinic. I noticed they had bigger rooms and nice amenities, including a large couch area as a part of the patients room, which can allow the family to stay close by. This was a large clinic. They are very similar to a hospital, but they do not offer transplant or oncology. They are funded mainly through Omint, which is a private insurance policy. This clinic was similar to Mayer Dei, however it operates under a more corporate medical structure than non-profit or religious.

Overall, comparing these three institutions allows an evaluation of the trade-offs. Hospital Fernandez welcomes everyone and handles much trama, while still managing their firm public budget.  Sanatorio Mater Dei uses private insurance and religious values to have a more peaceful and risk free environment for families. Clínica Bazterrica uses a more corporate organization in order to deliver fast and high technology medical care.