Since December 2023, Argentina is under President´s Milei administration that is characterized by a discriminatory rhetoric, big budget cuts that undermine the fundamentals of a welfare state and poses a risk to guarantee many human rights.[i] In that direction the National Ministry of Health has undergone several changes in its structure that has resulted in the elimination or weakening of various operational areas and strategic programs such as vaccination, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health.[ii] This reconfiguration has included the dissolution of the National Cancer Institute (INC), a key institution in the implementation of public policies for the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer in Argentina.
The absorption of the functions of the INC by the Ministry of Health, including dismissals of a large percentage of its workers, has raised concerns about the continuity and effectiveness of policies in this area, especially in a context where the incidence of cancer continues to increase. Furthermore, the reduction of the health budget by 48% in real terms since the new government took office has negatively impacted the capacity of the national State to guarantee access to essential treatments and medications for cancer patients.[iii] In this context the Province of Buenos Aires, the larger province in Argentina that has about 18 million inhabitants, adopted the decision of updating their policies on cancer screening.[iv] Historically this type of cancer policies in Argentina (and most other countries in the World) were centralized set according to the academic evidence to avoid disparities in access This decision reflect a novel role on healthcare policies in the provinces and a setback in the national State’s commitment to public health and a disengagement from national policies in the sector, which could compromise the care, rights and equity of people affected by cancer in the country.
Additionally, during the last year 13 of the 24 provinces adopted policies against dengue fever such as free vaccination in the absence of a uniform and national strategy. Each of these provinces are targeting different populations: some vaccinate young adults, other people between 15 and 59, some of them also vaccinate strategic personnel such as policemen and firemen, others all ages but according to epidemiological data regarding dengue incidence in the place were each person lives.[v] This scenario reflects a disorganized strategy against the disease but also warns about an increase in health disparities and the unequal access to health prevention.
Argentina has left the World Health Organization[vi] and with the United States of America shares an ideological blueprint to destroy the health system.[vii] With a misleading massage of freedom, the role of the State is stepping back leaving the right to health up to each citizen’s luck or economic capacity. There is enough evidence worldwide of the catastrophic consequences to health of the austerity policies implemented by countries: from the Wall Street Crash in 1929 and the following great depression in the United States to Greece, Spain, Portugal, England during the financial crisis in 2008.[viii]
This (reloaded) scenario should alert people from all over the World about the direct connection between health and State´s efficiency and responsibility in healthcare access. We should acknowledge the importance of health policies to strengthen a health system in order to avoid, or at least alleviate, disparities in access to health. Writing down these ideas and sharing them with colleagues might be necessary step towards the organization of the health workforce to defend our patients.
[i] Human Rights Watch warns of “institutional deterioration” under Milei. Available at: https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/rights-group-warns-of-institutional-deterioration-under-milei.phtml Accessed on November 6th 2025
References
[ii] McCall C. Health care under Milei. The Lancet. 2024;406(10511):1456-8
[iii] Cabezas A S, Franco J V. Argentina and the US share an ideological blueprint to destroy science and healthcare BMJ 2025; 390 :r1824 doi:10.1136/bmj.r1824
[iv] Modelo de abordaje del cáncer de mama en la provincia de Buenos Aires: Nuevas recomendaciones de tamizaje. Salpublica [Internet]. 2025 Oct. 13 [cited 2025 Oct. 31];4. Available from: https://saludpublica.ms.gba.gov.ar/index.php/revista/article/view/319
[v] Infobae news. https://www.infobae.com/salud/2024/09/06/vacuna-contra-el-dengue-en-que-provincias-se-aplicara-y-quienes-tendran-prioridad/ . Accessed December 2nd 2025
[vi] Reuters. Argentina se retirará de la Organización Mundial de la Salud [Spanish].2025 Feb 5. https://www.reuters.com/latam/domestico/7LUYNB7425LTJEA6T63GY5LJ2Y-2025-02-05/
[vii] Cabezas A S, Franco J V. Argentina and the US share an ideological blueprint to destroy science and healthcare BMJ 2025; 390 :r1824 doi:10.1136/bmj.r1824
[viii] Stuckler, D., & Basu, S. (2013). The body economic: why austerity kills. Basic Books.
Author
Dr. Jontan Konfino
Jontan Konfino is a medical doctor, Master in Clinical Effectiveness and PhD in Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires. He is a lecturer in public health at the Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche (UNAJ) and at the University of Buenos Aires. He is a Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Fellowship on Health Equity and currently the Undersecretary of Health Policies of the Ministry of Health Buenos Aires, Argentina. He promotes community engagement and participation in health and the synergy between social movements, academia and government administration to achieve the right to health.
Declaration of interests
I have read and understood the BMJ Group policy on declaration of interests and declare the following interests: none.