COVID RESPONSE IN PERU AND ARGENTINA: Dysfunctional Healthcare Systems and Management
October 12, 2020 1 Comment
Recently, the Institute for the Advanced Studies of the Americas (https://mia.as.miami.edu/) at the University of Miami held a revealing webinar with the participation and cogent presentations of former ministers of health of Peru and Argentina. The two ex-ministers know the internal weakness of the healthcare systems in their countries, and themselves had participated in attempts to make reforms.
There are several takeaways from the event:
- Both Peru and Argentina have the highest rates of infection in Latin America along with Brazil.
- Before even the COVID pandemic hit Peru and Argentine, the healthcare systems were dysfunctional and inaccessible.
- Peru was late in acquiring internationally a low cost testing kit that failed and, therefore, the people didn’t know if they had COVID. Argentina was late in organizing testing.
- The underlying situation in Argentina and Peru was one of great income, social and regional inequality that had the effect of separating a large share of the population from good healthcare and protection from the COVID.
About Stephen E. McGaughey
Coral Gables Watch 
Appreciate your attention to COVID in other countries, Stephen. Amid the problems, maybe there are some innovative approaches that we here in the U.S. could pick up on?