lamarque
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- Jun 11, 2012
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The truth is that the difference between public and private hospitals in Argentina is mostly about aesthetics, infrastructure, and, when it’s not an emergency, waiting times.
A lot of doctors actually work in both systems. They might spend half the day in a public hospital and the other half in a private one or 2 days on one an 1 on the other. Many doctors keep their position in a public hospital because of the prestige, the benefits that come with it later in their careers like privilege and pension on shorter time, and simply because it helps them build and maintain their professional reputation, same as with profesors in universities. Also, most people who study medicine in Argentina aren’t doing it primarily for the money. A significant portion come from relatively well-off families, which is quite different from how the profession works in some other countries where is more a chase for the money here they enter that profession knowing they will not become rich and not expecting that either, more for vocation or family prestige.
For highly specialized or complex medical care, you can actually be better off going to a specialized public hospital. Some of these procedures aren't particularly good business for private hospitals because they don't have the same patient volume or specialization. The main problem is getting an appointment or a spot. Many Argentinean, know someone who knows someone who can help you get one faster.
In terms of infrastructure, private hospitals are definitely nicer and better maintained. Waiting times are also usually a significant advantage of the private system. But beyond that, both public and private healthcare can be very good. Of course, you can always pay more and get a bit more comfort or attention, but in terms of the actual medical care, the difference isn't necessarily as dramatic as people might expect.
I've lived in several first-world countries, and one thing I've noticed is that the Argentine public system can sometimes be much more proactive. In Germany, for example, even getting something as basic as a CT scan can sometimes take a long time to get approved. In Argentina, even in a public hospital, if a doctor has the slightest doubt about something, they may order a scan just to be sure and they do it right away. You could certainly argue that this sometimes represents a waste of public resources, and I would agree with that to some extent, but from the patient's perspective, it's obviously better to have doctors being overly cautious.
I've experienced public healthcare my entire life because I'm originally from a very small town in the middle of nowhere in Patagonia, not the touristy part. In a place like that, private healthcare simply didn't make much business sense, so the public hospital was basically the only option, and it was actually good. The same was true for the public school system where everyone from the richest family to the poorest one inter mixed in the school, at least back then. Eventually, a private healthcare provider and private school were established in the town, but having experienced both, I would say that what you were mostly paying for was a better-maintained building, more attention, and a somewhat more comfortable experience. I never noticed a huge difference in the actual quality of care.
Buenos Aires is obviously different because there are both very good and very bad public hospitals. The quality varies quite a lot depending on where you go.
These days, since I've lived in Buenos Aires for many years, before mostly i lived in europe (ireland, holland, germany), here I use Swiss Medical. When I lived in Germany, I also used private healthcare most of the time, although I did use the public system on a few occasions. Once, I was transferred to a public hospital during an emergency in Buenos Aires while i was on my summer vacations visiting Argentina, and I really couldn't complain about the care I received.
So, in my experience, private healthcare in Argentina is mostly about convenience, shorter waiting times, infrastructure, and comfort. The public system can be just as good medically, and for certain highly specialized treatments, some of the best options are actually public hospitals.
A lot of doctors actually work in both systems. They might spend half the day in a public hospital and the other half in a private one or 2 days on one an 1 on the other. Many doctors keep their position in a public hospital because of the prestige, the benefits that come with it later in their careers like privilege and pension on shorter time, and simply because it helps them build and maintain their professional reputation, same as with profesors in universities. Also, most people who study medicine in Argentina aren’t doing it primarily for the money. A significant portion come from relatively well-off families, which is quite different from how the profession works in some other countries where is more a chase for the money here they enter that profession knowing they will not become rich and not expecting that either, more for vocation or family prestige.
For highly specialized or complex medical care, you can actually be better off going to a specialized public hospital. Some of these procedures aren't particularly good business for private hospitals because they don't have the same patient volume or specialization. The main problem is getting an appointment or a spot. Many Argentinean, know someone who knows someone who can help you get one faster.
In terms of infrastructure, private hospitals are definitely nicer and better maintained. Waiting times are also usually a significant advantage of the private system. But beyond that, both public and private healthcare can be very good. Of course, you can always pay more and get a bit more comfort or attention, but in terms of the actual medical care, the difference isn't necessarily as dramatic as people might expect.
I've lived in several first-world countries, and one thing I've noticed is that the Argentine public system can sometimes be much more proactive. In Germany, for example, even getting something as basic as a CT scan can sometimes take a long time to get approved. In Argentina, even in a public hospital, if a doctor has the slightest doubt about something, they may order a scan just to be sure and they do it right away. You could certainly argue that this sometimes represents a waste of public resources, and I would agree with that to some extent, but from the patient's perspective, it's obviously better to have doctors being overly cautious.
I've experienced public healthcare my entire life because I'm originally from a very small town in the middle of nowhere in Patagonia, not the touristy part. In a place like that, private healthcare simply didn't make much business sense, so the public hospital was basically the only option, and it was actually good. The same was true for the public school system where everyone from the richest family to the poorest one inter mixed in the school, at least back then. Eventually, a private healthcare provider and private school were established in the town, but having experienced both, I would say that what you were mostly paying for was a better-maintained building, more attention, and a somewhat more comfortable experience. I never noticed a huge difference in the actual quality of care.
Buenos Aires is obviously different because there are both very good and very bad public hospitals. The quality varies quite a lot depending on where you go.
These days, since I've lived in Buenos Aires for many years, before mostly i lived in europe (ireland, holland, germany), here I use Swiss Medical. When I lived in Germany, I also used private healthcare most of the time, although I did use the public system on a few occasions. Once, I was transferred to a public hospital during an emergency in Buenos Aires while i was on my summer vacations visiting Argentina, and I really couldn't complain about the care I received.
So, in my experience, private healthcare in Argentina is mostly about convenience, shorter waiting times, infrastructure, and comfort. The public system can be just as good medically, and for certain highly specialized treatments, some of the best options are actually public hospitals.
