Health & Education

With the introduction of the Universal Health Plan, Argentina has gone some way to addressing the low-hanging fruit with regard to improving Argentina’s health care system. Inefficiencies and bureaucratic blocks in the sector can be improved by the introduction of new technologies, appointment scheduling systems and the harmonization of data across the fragmented model. The unification of health care provision looks set to continue, but the biggest challenge will be to provide quality treatment to provinces in the country’s more remote areas. Argentina boasts one of the best education systems in Latin America, in terms of both attainment and funding of institutions. More than 98% of citizens over the age of 15 are literate, and public and private universities frequently perform well – along with Chilean and Brazilian institutions – in global rankings systems. The opening of the economy puts new onus on schools and universities to provide their students with the skills necessary to compete in the global market place. The results of the first batch of students to graduate from the Schools of the Future programme will be eagerly anticipated by progressive innovators and could set the tone for deeper reform in the coming years. This chapter includes interviews with Florencia Davel, CEO, Bristol-Myers Squibb Argentina; Alberto Álvarez Saavedra, President, Laboratorios Gador; and Alberto Edgardo Barbieri, Dean, University of Buenos Aires.