C-TN7-00406: ARGENTINE POSITIONS ON SAMPLE SHARING

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000928

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR INR
OES FOR DANIEL SINGER AIAG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2017
TAGS: PINR KFLU AR
SUBJECT: C-TN7-00406: ARGENTINE POSITIONS ON SAMPLE SHARING
AND VACCINE ACCESS

REF: SECSTATE 62185

Classified By: AMB E. ANTHONY WAYNE, FOR REASON 1.4(C)

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Summary
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1. (U) Emboff met on May 10, 2007 with Argentine Ministry of
Health official Dr. Hugo Fernandez to clarify Argentina's
positions on Reftel questions. Argentina has to date been an
eager partner on the full spectrum of pandemic preparedness
cooperation. Dr. Fernandez was unable to address many of the
questions included in reftel, especially those related to
pricing and preferential treatment for certain countries
providing samples, but outlined the MOH's general views
regarding the handling of samples and vaccine production. End
Summary

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Answers for Reftel Paragraph 4 Subparagraphs A and B
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2. (U) The Government of Argentina (GOA) readily shares
samples with the CDC and WHO. Dr. Fernandez does not foresee
a change in their willingness to cooperate and noted that
"scientific and technical cooperation is the essential
element" to any preparedness effort. He was unable or
unwilling to address the more specific questions. Fernandez
repeatedly made clear that Argentina recognizes "universal
access" to healthcare as a basic "human right."


3. (C) Comment: On several occasions Fernandez began to
describe his personal views, but stopped himself. Ministry
of Health officials tend to regard Argentina's constitutional
guarantee of universal healthcare as their central mission
and often regard the U.S. private healthcare system as a
threat to that perceived right. During routine meetings and
conversations, Emboffs are often lectured on the "injustice"
of American pharmaceutical companies, and on at least one
occation, MOH officials have held out the Cuban healthcare
system as a model worthy of emulation. That being said,
Argentina's receipt, in 2006, of a nearly one million dollar
HHS/CDC pandemic influenza detection and preparedness grant
is a significant factor in the bilateral relationship.
Fernandez was careful to avoid any position with regard to
"equitable access," other than to reiterate Argentina's
philosophical human rights position.

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Answers for Reftel Paragraph 4 Subparagraphs C and D
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4. (U) Fernandez told Emboff that MERCOSUR had begun
preliminary discussions to "regionalize" pandemic influenza
response. However, he noted that those talks are at an early
and informal stage. Argentina will be a player in Southern
Cone regional preparedness efforts, and a significant element
of Argentina's grant proposal to HHS calls for Argentina to
offer training and technical assistance to the region. The
MOH currently purchases seasonal influenza vaccine, which is
used to target specific risk groups. The seasonal vaccine is
also widely used by private physicians as a standard
provision of care. In Argentina, vaccine production is
conducted entirely by private companies. In some cases the
firms contract directly with the MOH. Fernandez said that
there is little or no vaccine development in Argentina. The
GOA funds the few exceptions.

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Answers for Reftel Paragraph 4 Subparagraphs F and G
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5. (U) Director of Foreign Relations for the MOH Sebastian
Tobar was unavailable to meet, due to "preparations for the
World Health Assembly." Fernandez was unable or unwilling to
address the specific positions the GOA might take on viral
sharing or vaccine access. While he offered no indication of
Argentina's possitions in Geneva, Fernandez made every effort
to highlight the HHS agreement and the strong cooperation
with the U.S.


6. (C) Comment: Sebastian Tobar is the Embassy's primary
interlocutor at the Ministry of Health and a occasionally
sharp critic of the U.S., especially the U.S. private
healthcare system. He rarely misses an opportunity to share
his views regarding what he calls the "ideological
differences" between the U.S. and Argentina and has even
managed to turn a routine conversation about major health
issues into lecture about the immorality of the War on
Terror. However, the pandemic influenza preparedness grant
and agreement between the MOH and HHS represents a
significant investment to a historically under funded
ministry, and the Minister of Health has identified the
cooperation as a centerpiece of the bilateral relationship.
As a consequence, we believe that the views of Tobar and
other mid-grade officials at the Ministry of Health will have
little effect on Argentine positions in Geneva.
WAYNE