Although we did not visit any hospital or site visits today, we still learned a significant amount of information about public healthcare through cultural and historical tours and visits.

We started today off with a three hour walking tour of Buenos Aires. On the tour, we passed monuments that are very significant to Argentinian nationalism like a statue of Jose de San Martin- their George Washington equivalent. Argentinians are very proud of their country and exhibit their love of their home through elaborate statues and public monuments. This is similar to the United States. The tour concluded at Reccoletta, where there is a beautiful (and huge) Aristocratic cemetery that we walked through. The detail on all the mausoleums was so beautiful and gothic. We got to visit the mausoleum of Evita Peron, first lady and wife of Jaun Peron who was the president of Argentina 1946-1955 and then in 1973 also. However, Evita played just as important of a part as the president in Argentinian politics and healthcare.

We visited the Evita museum, which is dedicated to sharing information abotu Evita Peron’s actions and life. I was shocked that Evita only lived to 33, and her body was missing for 20 years. Evita played an integral role in women’s suffrage in Argentina and started the Evita Foundation which revolutionized social welfare, and gave aid to the first class. The Perons also created unions in Argentina. The Perons had a massive following from the working class. Although the Evita Foundation no longer exists, it left a lasting mark on Argentina’s public health system and what is expected of the government in terms of intervention in welfare. It encourages the government to play an active role in the health of citizens.

Overall, today was an integral day for learning about Public Healthcare in Argentina. It was interesting to tie information I’ve learned this past week with Argentina’s rich history. I loved getting to learn more abotu culture and their country’s strong nationalistic behaviors.