Bolivia now negotiates with Argentina a reciprocal agreement on medical care for foreigners – 06/02/2019

After several requests from the governor of Jujuy, Gerardo Morales, to the administration of Evo Morales so that there is reciprocal attention "gratuitous" to the Argentineans served in the Bolivian health system while there is no need for a "free" treatment. they serve Bolivians in Argentina, the governments of both countries are advancing in an agreement this puts an end to a controversy with a high media impact.

As Clarín learned from national government sources, the next Friday, February 22 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, The Vice-Chancellor of Bolivia, María del Carmen Almendras, will meet the Under-Secretary of American Affairs of the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Leopoldo Sahores, and the Ambbadador of Argentina to La Paz, Normando Álvarez García, who has submitted to the neighboring Government the following text: Bilaterals want to approve the Argentines as soon as possible.

Alvarez Garcia is waiting for these days to hold a hearing with Health Minister Gabriela Montaño, who is dealing with these issues with precision, which came to light last week with Governor Morales' public letter.

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It's actually a general agreement on health cooperation between the two countries. But Article 6 goes straight to the point. Medical badistance provided in public hospitals refers to the action that the parties will undertake through "negotiations at national, provincial and departmental levels to "Common and equitable cost recovery mechanism in terms of medical badistance provided by public hospitals which concern nationals of one Party who are in the territory of the other Party but who are not permanent residents of the same country"

In the meantime, point 7 refers to the medical badistance provided in public hospitals in case of medical emergencies and indicates that the parties will engage in negotiations at all levels and within the limits of their respective skills. "to guarantee the free treatment of emergencies and emergencies in case of risk of transfer to public hospitals which concern nationals of one party who are in the territory of the other country without being permanent residents of the same country."

But, in addition, the two countries will create a joint commission to deal with this issue on a permanent basis.

The question is of great complexity in Bolivia where, as he knew Bugle, the neighboring Senate tries a law that will facilitate reciprocity. The basic problem is that Bolivians themselves do not have a free health system and therefore can not give to strangers what they do not have themselves for their premises.

But the Bolivian bill – it's in the Senate now – whose content could be known Clarin It states that "Bolivian and Bolivian women who are not protected by short-term security" and "foreign nationals residing in the Plurinational State of Bolivia and protected by short-term social security will benefit from the health system. the framework of international instruments of reciprocity in matters of health, signed by the State and regulations in force ".

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The last controversy over this unequal treatment of Argentineans in Bolivia and Bolivians in Argentina – which is the subject of the administration of Cambiemos and the Rosada that supports Jujuy – appeared last week in an open letter from the governor of Jujuy to the Bolivian president in which he criticized the "dehumanized treatment" with the Argentineans who are served there. He then responded with another letter to a statement by the Minister of Health of Bolivia, Gabriela Montaño.

In both cases, he asked for "reciprocity" in health matters.. In his writings, Morales cites as an example the case of Jujuy Manuel Vilca, 35 years old, victim of a traffic accident in Bolivia. The Argentinian Vilca was hospitalized for 45 days in Bolivia and had to pay 22,000 Bolivian pesos in a public hospital in Oruro and just over $ 9,000 in a dispensary in Cochabamba. Morales has uploaded a copy of the tickets to his Twitter account. He had been accused of toilet paper.

The media coverage of the case and the subsequent intervention of the Jujuy government to settle the debts for health benefits and to transfer Vilca to the province led Morales to express itself in this sense. as a result of which the Bolivian minister was badured of "that there was no type of discrimination" in the medical care provided. But the Argentines insist on the agreement that they are negotiating now.