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The Oran hospital went from serving 300 people per week to an average of 5 after the start of charging foreigners - Infobae
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El hospital de Orán pasó de atender 300 personas por semana a un promedio de 5 tras el inicio del cobro a los extranjeros
El gerente del hospital le contestó a la cónsul boliviana, que se quejó por la situación
www.infobae.com
September 10, 2024
The hospital manager responded to the Bolivian consul, who complained about the situation
The meeting between Consul Felipa Huanca and Fabián Valenzuela took place on August 13. (Video capture)
After the formal request that the Bolivian consul , Felipa Huanca , made a month ago to Fabián Valenzuela , manager of the San Vicente de Paul Hospital in the city of San Ramón de la Nueva Oran, in the province of Salta, to stop charging for medical care to its citizens, was made known on Monday, today Tuesday the authority of said health center remained firm in its position and warned that it will comply with the measure " until the government and legislative authorities change it."
"We told her -the Bolivian consul- what the scope of provincial law 8.421 is, and we will maintain the measure until the government and legislative authorities change it," Valenzuela insisted this morning during an interview with Radio Mitre .
In response to complaints from her fellow countrymen about having to pay for medical care in public hospitals in the province of Salta, Valenzuela said that she recommended that she extend the claim to the authorities in her country. “ I suggested that they ask their government to increase the budget so that fellow countrymen who cannot afford the hospital services they require can take care of it themselves,” she explained.
The decision to charge foreigners for medical care was first promoted by a decree of Governor Gustavo Saenz and then ratified by the local Legislature. However, doctors on duty prioritize emergencies before making the corresponding payment. “Here, generally, when the patient comes, he pays before receiving the services, as long as it is an outpatient procedure. In the case of an emergency, the emergency is treated first and then the relevant payment is made,” Valenzuela pointed out.
Bolivia le pidió a Salta que deje de cobrar la atención médica a sus ciudadanos, pero la provincia lo rechazó
Imágenes de la reunión que tuvo lugar en el hospital de Orán
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Images from the meeting that took place at the Oran hospital
According to data from the Ministry of Health of Salta, attendance fell significantly after the measure was implemented. Valenzuela himself indicated that in the hospital under his charge they went from serving 300 people per week to having an average of 5. “There are days when no one comes,” Valenzuela stressed yesterday when asked by Infobae .
Regarding the savings brought about by this regulation, Valenzuela relied on the statements made two weeks ago by the Minister of Health of Salta, Federico Mangione , and highlighted: “The minister stated 15 days ago that the hospital in Orán saved around 60 million pesos , compared to the previous year. That is equivalent to the budget of a hospital in Santa Victoria.”
“But more than the monetary savings, it is the savings in the availability of beds, shifts, professionals, supplies. Today, my therapy is full and they are all Argentine citizens ,” he said.
When asked about the type of assistance that Bolivian citizens received before the measure came into effect, Valenzuela said that they came for all kinds of interventions. “ Not only did they come to have family, but also for highly complex surgeries such as neurosurgeries, cardiology surgeries, traumatology surgeries, where all the supplies were provided by the provincial government, and now they are not ,” he explained.
Facade of the San Bernardo Hospital, in Salta Capital. The province has been charging for foreigners since March (Government of Salta)
“The consul expressed her concern because she had fellow countrymen who were not receiving hospital services because they had to pay. I told her that it is not a matter of reciprocity, because it is strange that an Argentine who is on an outpatient basis goes to Bolivia ,” he concluded.
The meeting between Consul Felipa Huanca and Valenzuela took place on August 13, after a request for a meeting was made by the authorities of the consulate. “They proposed to me the intention of making new agreements so that there is a differential tariff for Bolivians, because they receive many complaints from their compatriots about the application of the charge, which is recent,” Valenzuela told this media.
"The meeting with the Bolivian authorities was cordial, there was no pressure or threats , but there was concern expressed, and we communicated that the proposal was wrong," Valenzuela said.
The charge for care is applied to specific treatments, consultations with specialists and surgical procedures. In the case of emergencies where people's lives are at risk, the service remains free.
Before the law was passed by legislators in Salta, both Salta and the province of Jujuy had signed reciprocity agreements with the Bolivian government to maintain free care in Argentine hospitals regardless of nationality in exchange for Argentines receiving the same treatment in the neighboring country.
However, the repeated cases of Argentine citizens who lost their lives in Bolivia after being rejected by hospitals in that country in emergency situations, made local governments review their position. That was the main argument put forward by Sáenz when promoting the decision.
“Here in Salta and in Argentina we have very good public health. That is why I do not like it when people talk about reciprocity with our neighbouring country, because no person from Salta or Argentina goes to Bolivia to get treatment. There they charge you for absolutely everything, in fact patients have died at the hospital door because they have not wanted to treat them,” said Minister Mangione in this regard .
Tariffs for foreigners in Salta
The decision to move forward with the application of fees for foreigners began in April. At that time, the list published by the local government was as follows:- $100,000 per day of hospitalization
- $190,000 for hospitalization in intermediate wards
- $250,000 for intensive care admission
- $245,000 per birth
- $250,000 for neonatal therapy hospitalization
