LATAM Ep. 2: Argentina: Great Medical Education System and Turbulent Political Instability
“Disparity is the word that best describes the landscape of healthcare provision in Argentina,” says Santiago Troncar, the founder of Future Docs Latin America.
One of the strengths of Argentina's healthcare system is its long-standing tradition of providing free medical education in public universities. This has resulted in a high concentration of physicians in the country, making Argentina one of the leading nations in terms of healthcare professionals in Latin America, says Troncar.
In this episode, he shares his insights on healthcare digitalization in Argentina.
Access to Care
Like many countries, Argentina faces challenges in ensuring equitable access to healthcare services, particularly in remote and underserved areas. Technology and telemedicine are seen as promising solutions to bridge this gap. However, due to regional fragmentation, and region-based rules, scaling across the country can prove to be challenging. “In our health system we don't have such a thing as a federal health system. We have a decentralized health system and more than 20 provinces have the right to do their own regulations and their own executions. So basically you have to spend a lot of money for local implementations.”
Digital Strategy
The Ministry of Health did publish a national digital health strategy for 2018 to 2024, which is good, says Santiago Troncar, however, the implementation is questionable, due to the previously mentioned federal health system design, and political instability. If a new government would take charge, the strategy might come under question.
The pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital health solutions, as patients increasingly turned to mobile phones and technology to connect with healthcare providers. But a lot more improvement needs to be done in digitizing health records.
This is just an excerpt. Tune in to the full episode:
Show notes & time stamps
1:36 how healthcare provision differs in different regions in Argentina.
Disparity is the word that best describes the landscape of healthcare provision in Argentina.
Some regions have high-level and sophisticated tools and digital health innovation, while others do not.
7:20 The economic context in Argentina poses a lot of obstacles to digital health initiatives. Changing governments and political parties bring inconsistency and chaos to the projects. There is still a lot of ground to cover despite the advancements.
19:30 The Latin American countries need to digitize medical records and use interoperable technologies to create a common language of interchanging information regarding patients.
The challenge is to make people understand their health needs and be empowered to adhere to treatments.
The entrepreneurial community in Argentina is strong and creating digital health services.
The products are designed to go beyond the borders of a country and be regional.
25:00
The 'Mi Argentina' app is a good example of a digital health initiative that promotes vaccination.
The app allows people to upload their vaccination history and receive reminders about upcoming vaccinations.