President Javier Milei's government has ratified its decision to withdraw Argentina from the World Health Organization (WHO) and reaffirmed its collaboration with Washington.
The decision to pull out of the WHO was initially announced in February by Argentina's President Javier Milei, following in the footsteps of his US counterpart Donald Trump who had said in January the United States would withdraw.
Milei's government jagain ustified its departure from the UN agency in a statement Monday, issued during the visit to Buenos Aires of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy.
"The WHO's prescriptions do not work because they are not based on science but on political interests and bureaucratic structures that refuse to review their own mistakes," the statement said.
The Foreign Ministry in Buenos Aires previously accused the agency of "disastrous" management during the Covid-19 pandemic with its "caveman quarantine."
The announcement came as Kennedy and Argentine Health Minister Mario Lugones met to define "a joint work agenda that will strengthen transparency and trust in the health system from a focus on prevention, food safety and efficiency of spending."
"Together with Robert Kennedy, we believe in the future of collaboration in global health. We have similar visions about the path forward and we are confident that this will give us the possibility of deepening the work between both countries," Lugones said.
The minister said the duo "agree on the need to promote healthier citizens, based on a better diet."
"To this end, we are going to carry out a comprehensive review of the toxic ingredients present in ultra-processed products and rethink the approach to chronic diseases," he said, referencing one of Kennedy's main complaints.
Kennedy, a controversial Trump pick for health secretary given his vaccine scepticism, is expected to meet with Milei during his visit.
Talks with Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein and Deregulation & State Transformation Minister Federico Sturzenegger are also scheduled.
In a video broadcast at the WHO's annual assembly last week, Kennedy urged other governments to withdraw from the agency and create other institutions.
In his speech, Kennedy alleged that the UN health agency was under undue influence from China, gender ideology, and the pharmaceutical industry.
'Structural review'
Milei's government also announced a "structural review" of Argentina's health agencies to "organise, update, and make transparent the structures and processes" of the health system "that for years operated with overlaps, outdated regulations, and limited oversight."
Lugones said reforms would promote a new model with an emphasis on preventative medicine that is "based on scientific evidence and with a focus on the citizen."
The government intends to review all existing national bodies to "eliminate inefficiencies" and "bureaucracy," according to a statement.
Officials will also review the use of additives in food, especially mass consumption items.
Stricter controls for vaccines and fast-track authorisations of high-cost drugs will also be analysed.
Talks between officials in Buenos Aires and Kennedy are expected to focus on the deregulation of Argentina’s health system.
"He expects to dialogue on key health priorities, including healthcare reform and deregulation," the US government said in a statement issued prior to his arrival.
Kennedy’s visit to Argentina is part of a regional international tour designed to strengthen alliances and coordinate health policy.
– TIMES/AFP/NA
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