Navigating Healthcare Costs in Salta: Requirements for Foreign Patients in Public Hospitals

2024-04-05 00:21:35
Salta hospitals require payment from foreigners who do not reside in the province (Government of Salta)

The charge for care for foreigners who go to Salta’s public hospitals led to a notable drop in attendance by people who do not have residence in that northern Argentine province. According to figures confirmed by sources from the provincial Ministry of Health to Infobae, consultations dropped from a daily average of 30 people in the main hospitals to less than 10.

This reaction is clearly observed in the hospitals of Tartagal and Orán, two towns in Salta that border Bolivia. There, the Manager of Oran hospitals, Fabián Valenzuela, confirmed that attendance fell sharply during March alone. The official clarified that it depends on the season, but of an average daily service of between 20 and 30, in March only 6 were attended.

This phenomenon is repeated in the 52 public hospitals, of different levels, that the province has, as confirmed by the local Ministry of Health. Part of the explanation can be found in the amounts that were known of the values ​​of the attentions. From the province’s health portfolio they confirmed to this medium, as an example, the cost of some modules:

• $100,000 per day of hospitalization
• $190,000 hospitalization in intermediate rooms
• $250,000 hospitalization in intensive care
• $245,000 per delivery
• $250,000 per neonatal therapy hospitalization

The decision to demand payment of care from people who do not reside in the province was made official on the last day of February 2024. The governor of Salta, Gustavo Sáenz, explained that this is a measure that aims to recover between 5 and 10% of the annual budget that the provincial State allocates to public health. “The measure seeks to guarantee the solvency of the Salta public health system,” the provincial president had argued.

The decision was implemented through Necessity and Urgency Decree 129/2024. There, four categories of patients are distinguished to establish the criteria: permanent, temporary, transitory and precarious residents. These last two classifications include people who are required by the local government to pay for benefits.

The governor of Salta, Gustavo Sáenz

The Salta government also cited the need to “protect the sustainability and proper functioning of the public health system,” and noted that “health tours” were organized from other countries.

The local management, however, was in charge of clarifying that emergencies were not stopped being attended to and any risk to life continues to be a priority without distinction of the origin of the people. “Those who are in transit will be attended to, the problem will be solved and then it will be seen who is billed for the fees and expenses caused by the service,” said the Minister of Public Health, Federico Mangione.

The official had warned that the phenomenon was significant for the State of Salta. “Not only do they come for a consultation, but they also come to have highly complex surgeries, which involves the use of supplies and prostheses that are very expensive,” Mangione added on that occasion, defending the decision adopted by Sáenz’s management. .

In the last decade, the bordering provinces have been proposing a reciprocity scheme that requires reciprocal treatment from the States in the neighboring countries -essentially Bolivia. The claim of the provincial governments was accentuated by the multiple cases of Argentines who suffered accidents in that country, who have been denied care and on more than one occasion ended up dying without receiving care.

In contrast, care in public hospitals, especially in border areas, was applied, until February, without distinction.

In this framework, both Jujuy and Salta have signed reciprocity agreements with Bolivia. However, compliance has been mixed.

1712278230
#care #charged #attendance #foreigners #Salta #hospitals #fell