News of healthcare

Abortion access under threat amid ‘chainsaw’ cuts

07-03-2025 00:01 At a women's sexual health NGO in the town of Chivilcoy, abortion pills are handed out sparingly because of reduced state-sponsored supplies.

HEALTH & ECONOMY

Milei government eliminates Argentina's national cancer institute

06-03-2025 21:15 In a statement, Argentina's Health Ministry announced the closure of the Instituto Nacional del Cáncer because of a "duplicity of tasks" and to have "greater control of actions."

REACTION TO PULL-OUT

Experts voice criticism of Milei’s decision to quit WHO

07-02-2025 21:28 Opposition lawmakers, healthcare experts and analysts warn that President Javier Milei’s decision to withdraw Argentina from the World Health Organization will cut the country off from international health guidance, research and technology.

by Zella Milfred

HEALTHCARE & ECONOMY

Workers launch vigil to save mental health hospital from cutbacks

08-10-2024 17:31 President Javier Milei’s chainsaw hits Bonaparte Hospital in Parque Patricios; Workers stage vigil against alleged “closure” of hospital as Health Ministry states “restructuring process” has begun.

HEALTH & ECONOMY

New health minister fires management of top children’s hospital

03-10-2024 16:27 Newly appointed Health Minister Mario Lugones fires board of Garrahan Children’s Hospital for awarding 500,000-peso bonus; Decision “does not match the national government’s wage guidelines.”

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Social indicators cast doubt over Milei's 'catastrophe' averted claim

04-07-2024 13:09 President Javier Milei recently stated that the government’s social policy is “extremely good” and it had help prevent a “catastrophe.” Yet the government's own data and reports produced by private institutions indicate most social indicators have recorded a step backwards since he took office.

by Agustina Bordigoni

COMMUNITY & SOCIETY

British Hospital of Buenos Aires marks its 180th anniversary

12-06-2024 18:39 The Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires (British Hospital of Buenos Aires) can trace its roots all the way back to 1844 and its creation as an institution to care for what was then Argentina's largest foreign community. Since then it has pioneered new medical technology and expanded its patient base, all with an eye on the future.

by Enrique Garabetyan

HEALTH & ECONOMY

Government intervenes to halt private health scheme price surge

17-04-2024 17:21 Free-market Milei administration uses state power to challenge firms and announces most prepaid health schemes are rolling back runaway price increases; "The Argentina of wise guys is over," declares presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni.

HEALTH & ECONOMY

Argentina is running out of bug spray amid record dengue surge

10-04-2024 10:08 Bug spray is out of stock as Argentina confronts its worst-ever outbreak of dengue, a mosquito-borne illness that’s surged across Latin America amid high heat and heavy rains.

COST OF CRISIS

Food or medicine? Stark choice for the sick

04-03-2024 07:04 At pharmacies across Argentina, people are checking the price of medicines and opting not to purchase – even when it comes to antibiotics. As the economic crisis bites, healthcare has become a luxury some can’t afford.

LABOUR AND SOCIAL UNREST

Protests, strikes, unions 'on alert’: unrest against Milei's government grows

23-02-2024 07:26 Javier Milei is moving forward with steep spending cuts in a bid to achieve fiscal balance, but sectors are showing their reluctance – social and labour unrest on the rise. Just 75 days into his term in office, pressure on the president is growing.

SOCIAL UNREST ON RISE

Strikes and walkouts multiply as anger against Milei's austerity mounts

22-02-2024 21:05 Social unrest is growing, labour groups protest in response to President Milei’s belt-tightening measures; Railway staff, health workers, teachers and even scientists take to streets in protest.

LABOUR TENSIONS

Strikes pile up amid sting of Milei’s shock therapy

21-02-2024 16:03 Rail service, healthcare and schools all face disruption; Unions pushing back against government austerity measures.

GRIPPED BY CRISIS

In danger of extinction? Middle class slammed by crisis and austerity measures

16-01-2024 17:16 The removal of subsidies, rising rent and the increased costs of prepaid healthcare schemes and private schools are slamming the middle class, specialists warn. March will be a difficult month with the start of classes and the billing of basic public services shooting up.

by Agustina Bordigoni

Election 2023

Massa's gradual approach versus Milei's radical plans

24-10-2023 13:58 Presidential candidates, set to face off in a run-off election on November 19, have diametrically opposing views on everything from economic to foreign policies, and most notably on the size and role of the state..

HEALTHCARE & SOCIETY

Briana: six-year-old’s tragic death highlights inequality in Argentina

22-07-2023 06:59 Child mortality is an ongoing tragedy in Argentina’s indigenous communities. The recent death of six-year-old Briana, a member of Salta’s Wichi community, in a hospital waiting-room last March highlights the precarious conditions facing residents in the north of the country and the failure of successive governments to protect the rights of all citizens.

by Sabrina Chemen

HEALTHCARE

In vaccination champ Brazil, many have stopped getting shots

11-07-2023 15:25 Two years after Brazil began emerging from its pandemic horror show thanks to a massive immunisation campaign, officials face a paradoxical predicament: vaccination rates have plunged, and not just for Covid-19, leaving millions exposed to once-eradicated diseases.

HEALTH & SOCIETY

Public v private: 1 in 4 solely use state healthcare in Argentina

26-04-2023 13:49 One out of every four solely uses the public healthcare system, though more use private schemes exclusively. The commercial system is more used by men and more women have had to adjust their choices due to inflation.

by Sabrina Chemen

Death of Diego Maradona

Eight accused of wrongdoing in Maradona's death will stand trial, rules court

18-04-2023 15:33 Members of Diego Maradona's eight-strong medical team will stand trial for their alleged role into legendary footballer's death and face between 8 and 25 years in jail.