Cuts in public health in Argentina raise concerns about medical care.

In recent weeks, Argentina's public health system has undergone significant adjustments that have raised concerns among health professionals and the general population. Through decree 1138/24, published on the last day of last year, the Ministry of Health of the Nation has confirmed the restructuring of its organizational chart, which includes the decision not to renew 1,400 staff contracts. This measure, presented as an effort to increase efficiency, could have serious consequences for healthcare in a country where around 27% of the population relies on the public system. The situation is further complicated by the current context, where many people have seen increased costs for private health insurance and providers. According to recent reports, 54 prepaid medicine companies have ceased operations, leading to a decrease of between 4% and 6% in their members. This means that more Argentines will be forced to turn to the public health system, which was already struggling with high demand before the mass layoffs. The staff cuts are not limited to hospitals; they also extend to various institutions linked to the Ministry of Health, such as the National Cancer Institute and PAMI (National Institute of Social Services for Retirees and Pensioners). Meanwhile, the Minister of Health of the province of Buenos Aires, Nicolás Kreplak, has denounced the closure of 15 essential areas for managing the health system, including strategic departments such as Gender and Diversity and Health Research. The adjustments have sparked immediate reactions among health specialists. The Argentine Society of Infectiology (SADI) has requested a meeting with the Ministry to discuss the impact that changes in the organizational chart may have on critical areas such as communicable diseases. This concern is heightened by the fact that the coordinations being closed are fundamental to ensuring equitable and federal access to health. The situation becomes more alarming when observing that, of the 210 employees whose contracts were renewed in January, 61% are technical and specialized staff in areas such as vaccines and HIV. Professionals express concern about how the reduction of technical personnel may negatively affect the Ministry's operations, emphasizing that without adequate human resources, meeting the demands of health programs will become a complex, if not impossible, task. From the Ministry, authorities assure that health programs will continue to operate and that there will be no significant budget cuts. However, public health experts question this assertion, arguing that the reduction of technical staff will inevitably impact the quality of care and the agency's ability to respond to health emergencies, such as the increasingly common outbreaks of infectious diseases. National Deputy Pablo Yedlin has raised his voice in Congress, presenting a resolution project for the Executive Power to provide clarifications on the non-renewal of contracts. Yedlin highlights the urgent need to maintain areas that manage public health in a country with concerning indicators, such as the increase in tuberculosis cases and low vaccination coverage in the post-pandemic context. Organizations like the Huésped Foundation have also expressed their concern, underscoring that the closure of key departments would not only be a setback in health matters but would also violate international commitments regarding the right to health. Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which guarantees the right to health, has been cited as a fundamental reference for defending a robust and accessible health system. For their part, the Ministry assures that vaccines for 2025 have already been secured and that bidding for next year's vaccination campaign is underway. However, the debate over the inclusion of the dengue vaccine remains open, generating further uncertainty in a context where public health faces growing challenges. Finally, while the Ministry of Health seems to be in a process of decentralization and transfer of responsibilities to the provinces, authorities have not clarified how this process will be carried out or what implications it will have for healthcare. With the recent history of the pandemic still fresh in collective memory, many question whether the path chosen by the government is the right one and whether the health of the population is truly being prioritized over administrative efficiency criteria. At this critical moment, the dismantling of services and the adjustment in the public health structure could have lasting consequences for the well-being of Argentines.