Academic Program

2 Credits, 10 days

The program is designed to provide students of many disciplines the opportunity to participate in this program. All students will enroll in INTL 130: Global Field Experience, Argentina: Public Health.

Course Description:

Fragmentation is a common trait of most Latin-American systems. In Argentina the lack of integration among sub systems has a deep impact on health care access and financial sustainability, leading to exclusion, inefficiency, inequality, lack of transparency in administration and one of the highest burdens of household catastrophic out-of-pocket spending in Latin America.

The national budget, although within the average of the region, is insufficient to cover the health care needs of the uninsured and to fully address the imbalances in social determinants of health. We first present the organizational and financial structure of the health care system. We then analyze the system dynamics and local health care history, and we explore a few possible lines of action and reforms for the next decade.

Argentina‘s health care system is young and developing. Although access to health care is a constitutional right, and the system strives to be greatly inclusive, its own complexity and fragmentation undermine those efforts. Capacity building and political determination are needed to undertake the deep health care reforms ahead. Only then can the constitutional commitments for health care be fully honored.

The purpose of this course is to offer students a global vision of the Argentinean Health System, of health policies and healthcare delivery to communities. This course will also analyze transversal themes such as efficiency, equity and the quality of service delivery to patients in each of the sessions.

Educational visits are an important component of this program and provide different contexts in which to examine healthcare delivery and cultural aspect of Argentina.

Field Excursions

The program will include the following field excursions, to both complement the academic course, as well as provide insights into the culture and context of Argentina:

• Meet with policymakers at the Ministry of Health of Córdoba
• Visit public and private hospitals/clinics in the city
• Spend time with a rural, public clinic
• Visit the Museum of Anatomy
• Learn about the work of the Palliative Care Foundation
• Participate in a Tango class
• Walking tour of historical and contemporary Córdoba
• Visit the weekend Arts Market/Flea Market

Accommodations

Students will reside in centrally located, serviced apartments. Each room will include a two beds, a desk, dressers, a kitchenette and bathroom. Breakfast is provided daily. Laundry service is available (at a fee) and wi-fi is generally available at all times. The apartments are located a short walk to the central plaza of Cordoba and has access to area supermarkets, restaurants, tourist sites, and much more.