HEALTH CARE IN ARGENTINA, A MIXED REVIEW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BUENOS AIRES 003119 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO ECON PREL PHUM AR SUBJECT: HEALTH CARE IN ARGENTINA, A MIXED REVIEW (CORRECTED COPY) REF: A: BUENOS AIRES 0111 B: BUENOS AIRES 3485 C: BUENOS AIRES 3102 ¶1. SUMMARY. The Argentine health care situation can be compared to a person who has one hand in a pot of hot water and the other hand in a pot of freezing water: on average, the water temperature is just fine. While Argentina ranks thirty-fourth in the United Nations Development Program's Human Development Index on economic prosperity, longevity, and education (U.S. is 7; Chile is 43),its health care system ranks below other middle-income countries in the region such as Costa Rica and Chile. An estimated 50 percent of the population has no health care coverage, and must rely on public hospitals whose services are uneven. Argentina has a high incidence of diseases associated with lesser developed countries; these include TB, Chagas, dengue and Hansen's disease. ¶2. Despite its uneven health care, this "Paris of Latin America" has become a surgery tourism destination because of its low prices and highly qualified physicians. State-of- the-art medical equipment, purchased during the period of convertibility, when the one peso was worth one dollar is still in good working condition. Argentines in rural areas and city slums suffer from lack of medical care. Of the 12.2 million youths and children in the country, 3.5 million live in urban poverty and 1.4 million are indigent. Problematic economic conditions have resulted in 16 percent of children under five suffering from malnutrition. With inflation on the rise, public hospitals are suffering from lack of funds, and medical equipment is starting to wear out. Argentine health resources are straining to provide adequate health care services for urban shanty town dwellers and impoverished rural areas. Improving the situation is a major challenge for the Kirchner Administration that will require resources, reform and sustained commitment. END SUMMARY Excellence in Argentine Health care -------------- ¶3. Argentina is a Mecca for "medical tourism." Drawn by state-of-the-art medical treatment, highly qualified physicians, many with European and American training, and low prices, increasing numbers of foreigners arrive to mix surgery with tourism. Top-of-the-line medical equipment, purchased when one peso equaled a dollar, is still in use, making it possible to have an MRI for $100, a procedure which would cost about $1,000 in the U.S. Argentina is the fifth of 50 countries in the number of aesthetic surgery interventions according to the International Society of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery. Surgery tours to Buenos Aires are touted on the Web, offering "convenient first class medical treatments and surgeries with the most exciting and exotic tourism." Argentina is a center for the development of new medical procedures and excellent doctors. Two examples include Dr. Federico Benetti, who developed the minimally-invasive direct coronary artery bypass as an alternative to traditional open-heart surgery and Dr. Rene Favaloro, the first surgeon to plan and perform a heart bypass operation. Impact of the 1998-2002 Depression -------------- ¶4. Beginning in 1998, Argentina's economy went into recession, which deepened into a full fledged depression and culminated in financial collapse in 2001-2002. The depression resulted in a 25 percent drop in GDP, unemployment of one quarter of the labor force and of mushrooming of poverty rates exceeding 50 percent of the population. With unemployment at record levels, public hospitals became crowded with middle and working class patients who had lost their jobs, and therefore, their health insurance. Health care workers were not always paid on a timely basis and their salaries were reduced in dollar terms with the devaluation of the peso. Some were paid in valueless government bonds. The devalued peso could no longer purchase expensive European and U.S. medicines and equipment, resulting in shortages of the most basic medications and supplies, including those for disease prevention and screening. Argentines reacted to the crisis by using public health centers in place of private care; taking their children less frequently to health care centers for preventive care; and/or canceling their health insurance altogether. The crisis most affected and continues to affect those under 15, particularly maternal-infant health. Argentine Health Indicators: A Mixed Picture -------------- ¶5. The World Health Organization (WHO) 2005 Report states BUENOS AIR 00003119 002 OF 005 that the 2003 life expectancy at birth for Argentine males was 71.0 years and for females 78.0. The Economist Intelligence Unit reported in 2004 an average Argentine life of expectancy of 74 compared to 68 in Brazil, 76 in Chile and 78 in the U.S. Sixty percent of deaths occur because of cardiovascular reasons, tumors or external causes; traffic accidents cause an inordinate numbers of deaths. Physicians are concentrated in the largest cities, with a ratio of doctors to people compared to that in developed countries, about equal to the U.S. and surpassing Brazil and Chile. Nurses, however, are in very short supply. Health care differs widely between rural and urban areas, with uneven levels of care. An estimated 50 percent of the population has no health care coverage, and must rely on the public hospitals whose services are uneven. Health Issues for Mothers and Children -------------- ¶6. UNICEF's most recent report on children published in December 2005 ranks Argentina as 127 in infant mortality, better then Bolivia (62),Brazil (88) and Venezuela (125). UNICEF reports that of the 12.3 million children and youths in the country, 3.5 million live in urban poverty and 1.4 million are indigent. Even though infant mortality rates have fallen by 50 percent over the last 20 years, according to the World Bank, mortality levels in Argentina remain high relative to countries with similar levels of economic development that spend less on health (Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay). The reduction in infant mortality rates appears to have slowed in the last few years. Similar trends are observed in the case of maternal mortality. The widest differences in health status exist among provinces, with the poorest regions experiencing a significantly higher incidence of maternal and child pathologies and infectious diseases. Illegal abortion and the effects of poverty are the main cause of maternal mortality in Argentina. ¶7. Children's health suffers due to the lack of prenatal care (66 percent of the infant mortality deaths are due to neonatal causes) and the effects of poverty. Public opinion and civil society organizations have become more aware of the health issues confronting children, especially the poorest, and more programs are being implemented to remedy some of the inequities. However, the mortality rate is notably higher among women with low incomes and those who live in the country's poorer provinces, mostly in northern Argentina. The mortality rate for the city of Buenos Aires is 14 deaths per 100,000 live births; in the Province of Buenos Aires, it is 32; and the Argentine national average is 44. ¶8. During the height of the recent economic crisis in Argentina in 2002, more than 55 percent of the population under the age of 18 was living in poverty, and more than 24 percent in extreme poverty. Over three million of Argentina's 7.7 million poor children and adolescents suffered from hunger according to a report prepared by the Studies and Training Institute of CTA, a trade union federation. Official figures indicate that the percentage of those under the poverty line had risen to 40.2 in 2004. Again, these statistics do not show acute inequities in some provinces. The CTA study shows that poverty affects 75.2 percent of children in the northern Chaco province while 42.8 percent of minors under 18 face extreme poverty in Santiago del Estero province, also in the north. Chronic Malnutrition -------------- ¶9. Chronic malnutrition is more of a problem in Argentina than starving children, according to Patricia Aguirre, anthropologist at University of Buenos Aires and Ministry of Health nutritionist. About 3 percent of children between 0- 7 years in the public health sector are suffering from chronic malnutrition resulting in stunted growth, while 12 percent suffer a less severe type of malnutrition resulting in low height for their age, according to Ministry of Health figures. These numbers have remained approximately the same on a national level since the late 1990s. About 500 children die of malnutrition each year in Argentina. According to the Center for Studies on Children's Nutrition, 7.5 percent of babies are born acutely malnourished or underweight. That number doubles for the poor. As one out of every two children suffers from anemia, the health consequences for this generation are considerable. The northern province of Tucuman is the most affected Argentine province. In all provinces, at least half of child deaths could have been prevented according to the Ministry of Health and the Foundation for the Study and Investigation of Women (FEIM). Two-thirds of infant deaths are neonatal. A BUENOS AIR 00003119 003 OF 005 mother's malnutrition is also a critical factor in underweight births, and 33 percent of Argentine mothers are anemic. ¶10. Children today are at additional risk from tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, environmental health-related diseases. Argentina's TB rate has increased since 2002, particularly in children between 5 and 9 years. Transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child during pregnancy and nursing accounts for 7 percent of new HIV cases reported in Argentina, giving the country the highest rate of such transmission in South America. The problem is concentrated in the City of Buenos Aires and surrounding low- income areas where an estimated 70 percent of the country's 130,000 HIV/AIDS cases occur. (REF A) One-third of all diseases that affect children under the age of five years are caused by environmental factors according to the WHO. Additionally, some Argentine children face great health and safety perils as the children of "cartoneros" (street scavengers). (REF B) Hansen's Disease , Chagas, TB... -------------- ¶11. Due to deteriorating public and private health environments, poor nutritional habits, and a lower standard of living, Argentina has a high incidence of diseases associated with lesser developed countries. These include hantavirus, leishmaniasis, dengue, chagas, tuberculosis, hepatitis, diarrhea, trichinosis, and HIV-AIDS. Argentina has very high levels of meat consumption and children are fed meat very early resulting in cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome, due to consumption of bad meat. The Ministry of Health reports that Argentina has had an average of about 500 new cases of Hansen's Disease per year over the past ten years. Smoking/Drinking/Drugs/Traffic as Killers -------------- ¶12. Smoking, alcohol and drug-related diseases as well as bad driving habits shorten lives in Argentina, as in many other countries. More than 46 percent of adult men, 34 percent of adult women, and 30 percent of youth smoke. The rate of alcoholism in poor urban areas is more than three times the rate found in higher-income areas. The WHO ranks Argentina fifteenth of countries with the highest mortality due to alcoholic liver disease (2001 data). Health problems and social harms associated with unsafe and illegal drug use include HIV, hepatitis, and other infections; criminalization; and social exclusion. Traffic deaths in Argentina are double the U.S. rate (15.2 for every 100,000 residents): 29.7 deaths for every 100,000 residents with an average of 30 deaths per day, according to the Road Safety and Education Institute. Persons with Disabilities -------------- ¶13. WHO estimates suggest that 10 percent of the Argentine population has some kind of disability. Government officials believe, however, that the percentage is only 7 to 8 percent of the total population, while social organizations estimate 15 percent. While there is no agreement on the numbers, there is agreement that there are significant regional differences in the rates of those affected and the treatment available. Outside of the major urban areas one may expect to confront a serious shortage of trained health professionals who can treat disabilities. Legislation exists; lack of implementation and oversight appear to be the problems. Organization and Provision of Health Services -------------- ¶14. In the 1990s, the national public health system was decentralized and the administration of public hospitals transferred to provincial administrations and municipalities. The Ministry of Health is charged with standardizing, regulating, planning, and evaluating health care activities in the country as well as producing epidemiological statistics. The health care system includes public and private hospitals on national, provincial and city levels, public and private clinics, and first-care health centers, particularly in rural areas. Additionally, some of the "obras sociales" (public health trust funds) have their own medical care clinics for workers. Obras sociales are administered by trade unions or professional organizations with oversight by the National Social Security Administration. BUENOS AIR 00003119 004 OF 005 Mainstay of the Health System, the Public Hospital -------------- -------------- ¶15. The public hospitals provide care to the poor and indigent who have no medical coverage and to those with insufficient coverage. The public hospital provides free services for foreigners (legitimate tourists as well as "short-term immigrants" from neighboring countries who come to obtain medical services). They serve higher-income- earners who are attracted by the reputation of a particular institution or its medical personnel or technological capacities. Additionally, they are responsible for providing essential health emergency services, training professionals to the graduate and postgraduate level (including many from other Latin American countries),and biomedical research. ¶16. A 2003 WB report points out, however, that the public hospital system is "floundering" under all its responsibilities. WB's diagnosis is that the public hospital system exhibits serious structural deterioration and managerial inefficiency; a high degree of administrative centralization at the provincial level; rigidity in its staffing structure and labor relationships; no adequate system of incentives; inadequate information systems on which to base decision-making and control; serious deficits in facilities and equipment maintenance; poor articulation with social security, financial resource allocation constraints, and a system of management ill-suited to its size. These characteristics severely limit public hospitals' ability to provide service to the non-insured. The Health Insurance System -------------- ¶17. Public health care is publicly financed and is open to all comers. The private health insurance plans, or "pre- pagas," (pre-paid),are supported by members' fees. Social security health care is financed by employers. The Civil Association of Integrated Medical Activities (ACAMI) states that 55 percent of Argentines had no health care coverage in ¶2004. Regional differences are pronounced: 30 percent lack coverage in the city of Buenos Aires, 50 percent in greater Buenos Aires (home to 8.5 million people),and 70 percent in the country's poorest provinces such as Santiago del Estero, Formosa, Corrientes and Chaco, all in the north. Pensioners Health Care -------------- ¶18. PAMI (Programa de Atencion Medica Inegral) finances health care for over three million pensioners (91 percent of the population over 65 is covered by PAMI). With its large deficit, poor services and deficient oversight, PAMI is suspected of widespread corruption according to the WB, local companies and the Economist Intelligence Unit. Health Professionals -------------- ¶19. The most recent 2005 Ministry of Health data shows that there are 32.1 doctors and 3.8 nurses for every 10,000 inhabitants. (Note: Low status and low salaries, about $300-400 a month, for nurses, have left them in short supply). According to a recent interview with the Rector of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA),the quality of medical education between public and private universities is unequal. UBA graduates 40 percent of those who enter the program, a reasonable number according to international parameters. Health Minister Gonzalez Garcia has publicly stated that Argentina has a high rate of doctors per capita, but that they are poorly trained. He emphasized that there is a need to modify the medical curriculum two to three times in every doctor's course of study due to advances in technology and information. (For example, none of the medical schools of the national public universities offer training in rehabilitation and/or disability as part of their regular curriculum. No training is available to general practitioners or to medical doctors who are not disability specialists.) Stating his opposition to unlimited entrance to medical schools, a hot topic of public discussion currently, Gonzalez Garcia said, "We must not train more doctors but better qualified doctors because Argentina cannot afford to waste its limited resources." Investment in Health -------------- ¶20. The Kirchner administration and earlier national governments have implemented emergency measures in response to the crisis in the health sector. These included the 2002 BUENOS AIR 00003119 005 OF 005 declaration of a national health emergency that remains in force, several WB and IDB financed projects related to maternal-child health and insurance programs, primary health- care reform including training programs for health professionals, food kitchens, and subsidies and training for unemployed heads of households. The Government is planning to spend $7.3 billion in social welfare programs. COMMENT -------------- ¶21. Argentines who live in metropolitan areas generally receive good medical care, except the slum dwellers who often fail to seek help, particularly preventive care. However, there is a striking difference in the level of care in the north, where there is a much larger indigenous population and extreme rural poverty. Despite low pay and an oversupply of doctors, young Argentines continue to flock to the medical school which is free and open to all applicants. Even the Minister of Health has criticized the ability of medical schools to produce competent physicians. Doctors warn patients against using physicians under 40 years of age. With a severe shortage of nurses, uneven medical education for doctors, and medical equipment showing wear, the GOA and provincial governments face a serious challenge. Most of the population in the disadvantaged provinces, all in the north, already has inadequate medical care. President Kirchner has acknowledged the significant deterioration in the health section. However, the question remains whether the Federal government, together with the provinces and other health care stakeholders, can meet the health care needs of all of Argentina's population. Improving the situation is one of major challenges facing the country. END COMMENT ¶22. (U) To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires GUTIERREZ