Milei cut 10% of the healthcare budget in Argentina

Published at: 30/06/2025 09:26 AM

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, applied a 10% reduction in resources allocated to public health so far this year, as part of an economic plan that has affected hospitals and vulnerable sectors.

According to the Primary Expenditure Monitor, released by the consultancy firm Analytica, the Ministry of Health recorded a real contraction of 9.8% in its budget execution between January and May 2025, compared to the same period last year. Although in May there was a one-off increase of 53.1% compared to the same month in 2024, the general trend is still decreasing.

The report noted that healthcare spending remains below pre-pandemic levels, even after stabilization after 2023. The most marked adjustments occurred in transfers (-6.3 points) and in payroll (-3.6 points).

According to what was published on the Telesur web portal, the reduction also affected entities attached to the Ministry, which showed a combined drop of 7.9%. Among the measures adopted were the closure of the National Cancer Institute and the suspension of early diagnosis initiatives. A 40% decrease in the workforce and 76% in the budget of the National Directorate for HIV, Hepatitis and Tuberculosis is also reported.

In addition, contributions to vaccination campaigns were stopped, limiting access to immunization during a measles outbreak that caused a death in April, the first in twenty years.

Mazo News Team