La provincia de Salta ha decidido continuar cobrando aranceles a los ciudadanos bolivianos que buscan atención médica en sus hospitales, a pesar de las quejas del país vecino. Los costos incluyen 120 mil pesos por día de internación y 245 mil pesos por parto. Esta medida, ahora respaldada por la ley 8421, ha reducido drásticamente la cantidad de pacientes extranjeros atendidos, pasando de 600 a solo 5 personas al mes. Según el director del hospital de Orán, Alejandro Valenzuela, la atención a extranjeros representaba el 10% del presupuesto sanitario provincial en 2023.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00We were just telling you at the beginning of this edition of America News
00:03the claim of Bolivia, because they say that the Bolivian citizens who come to Argentina to attend
00:11complain about the tariffs that the hospitals charge in Salta
00:14but from the province of Salta they said, gentlemen, we are going to continue charging the tariffs
00:19tariffs that on the other hand are not so expensive
00:21I had there the list of what they charge
00:25100,000 pesos per day of hospitalization
00:27Yes, you have to apply a 20 because those were originals
00:31but 120,000 does not change the equation much
00:33Yes, it is less than a hotel
00:35245,000 per birth
00:39What happened? There was a claim from Bolivia and the province of Salta said
00:44well, we are going to continue charging for this
00:47the figure that circulated in a hospital, for example, of 600 people who came to attend
00:53the amount per month dropped to 5 people
00:56I have Alejandro Valenzuela on the line, director of the hospital of Oran
01:00Dr. Valenzuela, how are you?
01:02Good morning, good morning to you, to your team, to all your audience, a pleasure
01:06Tell us how it was before and what is happening now with the attention of Bolivian citizens
01:11Well, before the measure of Mr. Governor, which first was a decree of urgency
01:19and then the legislature transformed it into law, law 8421
01:24All hospital services, indifferently for Argentine or foreign citizens, were free
01:31either ambulatory or of high complexity
01:35But let's see, were there really so many who were going to attend?
01:39Or was it more of a measure intended to generate, I don't know, against the grudge of a sector of the population?
01:48No, no, no, no, the statistics, I have been in charge of the hospital since February of this year
01:53and what happened to me last year, the statistics, in all concepts
01:58there were 31,000 attentions to foreign citizens
02:01and the Minister also stated that in the year 2020-2023
02:06the attention to foreign citizens was 10% of the budget of the public health of the province
02:14Ah, that's the data, so 10% of the budget of the public health was attention to foreigners
02:19That's right
02:21And what happened when the people of Salta were on the other side?
02:24No, it's very...
02:26You there in Oran are close to Bermejo, aren't you?
02:29Yes, we are 50 kilometers away, but it is very difficult for a citizen of Salta to require medical attention
02:38unless it is an emergency, an accident that occurs in the country of Bolivia, requires assistance
02:45Generally, those who come are here in Argentina to require that assistance
02:51So, but more than anything...
02:53But why? Because the public health system is better here, even with all the crisis
02:58Yes, it is better and even before the measure of Mr. Governor, it was free
03:03With high-complex surgery, which is free and one knows that even for the Bolivian citizen in his country, he has to pay
03:11And tell me honestly, that 10% that was saved, was it saved or was it cut back?
03:18I mean, did it go back to the people or was it cut back? They took advantage of the crisis and cut it back
03:25No, what happened to us...
03:27Well, we are living a very difficult budgetary situation in all of Argentina and hospitals are no exception to that
03:35Of course
03:37But what we see, the beneficial measure is that we have more availability of beds, more availability of resources, more availability of shifts
03:47Before, here, people who lived two blocks from the hospital had to go to Salta, for example, because they did not have availability of beds here in the hospital
03:56And because they were busy with foreign citizens and with everything that implies going to Salta, Capitano
04:02I imagine that there should be some level of tension and claim from the neighbors too, right?
04:08Logically, today, our intensive care unit in the hospital is fully occupied and they are all Salton and Argentine citizens
04:17We provide assistance to 15 hospitals that come from all over the north of the province
04:23That is where the economic part is materialized more than anything
04:27And not that the citizen who really contributes with his taxes and maintains the public health of the province can require the services of the hospital
04:35I tell you that the delivery is cheap, 245,000 mangoes is cheap
04:40Neither, a consultation is almost 9,000 pesos
04:44You know what a consultation is for a foreign citizen
04:48When one crosses the border and requires attention, you know what it costs
04:52It is not so expensive
04:54And was there a formal complaint from the Bolivian consulate?
04:57Yes, I received the consular authorities here, which are located here in the city of San Ramon de la Nueva Oran
05:06Where they were, I showed them the scope of the law
05:10And they told us that their compatriots had this concern
05:15As far as they did not receive free hospital services
05:20And well, the situation was firm
05:23I told them that we are not going to leave anything that the law says
05:28And we are going to keep it
05:30And besides, he was not the right person for those claims
05:35Because I am a hospital manager
05:37And if I want, because they also proposed an agreement
05:40And they would limit my functions
05:42That does not correspond to me, but at the central level
05:45And well, I told him that we are going to be strict in the fulfillment of the law
05:49As they are strict in their country
05:51I gave you the example of what you would do being in your country if you did not comply with the law
05:55Dr. Valenzuela, the union was very cordial, very polite to the proposal as well
05:58Now, what was your answer?
06:00Because you told him, and the proposal is interesting
06:03They do not have to ask us
06:05You have to refer to your authority
06:07And in any case, eventually, there ask for a departure
06:10That the consulate administers for Bolivian citizens, right?
06:13Yes, just as you said
06:16I told him that as a solution
06:18I told him, if you want to continue attending here
06:21Well, ask for a budgetary reinforcement
06:24And take care of what each citizen requires
06:28This compatriot of yours
06:30But the meeting was very pleasant, very cordial
06:32But with the firmness that has to be maintained in this type of situation
06:38Dr. Valenzuela, we thank you very much for your contact