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The Ultimate Medical Guide to Argentina 🏥

Updated: Nov 13, 2024

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What is this guide for? 🤔

Getting the medical and health care you need is always a difficult process, especially in a new country. It's even harder when you don't speak the local language. 


This guide is a starting point to answer all medical and health questions in Argentina, including helping you find a medical professional. Click on the different sections to learn more about the subject.


Copyright

Unfortunately, I have to add this because someone has copied and sold this document in the past without permission. This document is copyrighted material belonging to the author of this document. This document is not authorized to be sold or replicated without explicit permission of the author. You may request permission in writing by sending an email to info@banomads.com . 


Disclaimer

This guide is community built. While we strive to keep it up-to-date and as accurate as possible, we recommend doing your own research as information can be outdated or incorrect. We will not be held accountable, nor hold anyone accountable, for not updating information or providing any incorrect information supplied in good faith.


Links to reputable resources are added throughout this guide to help everyone in their independent research.



Sections

Medical Emergencies🚨

  • Dial 107 if you're experiencing a life-threatening medical emergency and need an ambulance. ☎️🚑

  • Dial +54107 if you don’t have an Argentinian phone number. ☎️ 🚑


Note: The “911” number is really only for police, not for medical emergencies.


  • If you don’t need an ambulance, go to the nearest Hospital Emergency Room (Hospital list here). Private hospitals have more English-speaking staff, less wait time, and better facilities. Take cash and credit/debit cards.

Health Insurance ⚕️

Private health insurance can be purchased with Swiss medical, and OSDE as suggested by the community. Both have medical facilities in several cities in Argentina. Other options are also available.

Dengue 🦟

Dengue is prevalent in Buenos Aires and in many parts of Argentina during the warmer months of October to May.


Vaccine

In Argentina you can get the QDenga Dengue vaccine. Unlike the other Dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, Qdenga can be administered to both people who have and who have not had Dengue before. It is two separate doses administered at least 3 months apart.


Currently in Buenos Aires it is really hard to get the vaccine through pharmacies and private vaccination centers.


Testing

You can get tested for Dengue at CentraLab and other laboratories depending on availability. Many hospitals may not test unless you have severe symptoms as they will assume that it is dengue if you meet most of the symptom criteria.


Symptoms

The community has reported the following symptoms with Dengue:

  • High and persistent fever

  • Pain in and behind the eyes

  • Extreme tiredness and lethargy

  • Strong Headaches

  • Gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea, stomach pain

  • Loss of appetite

Rare symptoms for which people went directly to the hospital:

  • Bleeding

  • Persistent vomiting

  • Severe abdominal pain

  • Rapid breathing

Prescriptions and Medications 💊

Some medications that are available over-the-counter in other countries may require a prescription in Argentina. Some medications are much more heavily regulated in Argentina (see list at bottom of section) and require a physical paper prescription or a digital prescription with a QR code. Pictures of paper prescriptions are not legally acceptable at pharmacies however some pharmacists may accept them for less regulated medications. In some cases, a prescription can only be written up if the doctor sees the patient in person so it is recommended that you ask the doctor if a physical consultation is required.


Ask a doctor from this list for a prescription or try JustAnswer for a virtual consultation and a prescription sent to you via Whatsapp. Uma is another similar service. Community members report USD $10 for these services.

Visit any pharmacy once you have a prescription. Two well known pharmacies are Farmacity and FarmaPlus.


Although it rarely happens, some community members have reported getting asked a lot of questions by pharmacists on the validity of prescriptions for highly regulated medications. The best thing to do is to keep your physical or digital QR prescription in good condition and make sure the prescribing doctor is reputable and can answer any pharmacist questions.


Known medications that are more tightly regulated

  • benzo, antidepresents, opiods, anftetamines (ritalin or modafeil)

Known medications that require special authorization

  • Morphine (Prescribing doctor has to get a special authorization from the Public Health Ministry which will then hand the doctor a special form)

Hospitals 🏥

Argentina has both public and private hospitals. 


Public hospitals are cheaper, many times free for citizens and residents, but the facilities are not as nice, wait times are much longer, and there are fewer English-speaking staff. Proof of residency or citizenship may be required for free or ultra-cheap care. Some facilities may not accept foreign credit cards and require other forms of payment such as cash.


Private hospitals generally have better facilities, significantly shorter wait times, more English-speaking staff, and a wider offering of specialties. Payment or proof of insurance is usually required at time of service. Our community reports out-of-pocket payments to range from USD $20 for medical appointments up to USD $100 for low-severity Urgent Care. Please note that costs will vary depending on your case.


Hospital Lists

An interactive map and list of hospitals in Buenos Aires by the government of Buenos Aires can be found here.


Public Hospitals Full List here

Public Hospitals Short List:

  • Any suggestions?


Private Hospitals Full list here

Private Hospitals short list:

Hospital Britanico (has multiple locations), +54-11-4309-6400

Doctors 🥼

Argentina has a globally recognized high standard of care, especially in large cities. The cost of a doctor's appointment typically ranges from USD $20-50. Factors such as medical specialty and home visitation affect the price. 


There are multiple ways to find a qualified medical professional.


Full List of English Speaking Doctors (Argentina) Click here

Other Health Professionals 🧑‍🏫

Argentina has a highly developed community of health professionals. From Physical Therapists, Massage Therapists, and Osteopaths, any type of professional is available.

  • A community developed list of these professionals can be found here.

  • Sites such as Doctoralia, Docturno, and Wiri Salud can also be used to find professionals or Google Maps.

  • The Whatspp community is a good resource and provides recommendations. Ask here.

Laboratories and Blood Work 🧪🩸

  • CentraLab: With locations across Buenos Aires, you can make an appointment online, via WhatsApp or just walk-in to a location. To find their locations, search for CentraLab in Google Maps or here's their complete list. Lab results can take a few weeks but will vary depending on the tests and the location. Some locations require a doctor’s note. At home tests are also available.

  • Diagnostico Maipu: Another well-known laboratory with a few locations. Make an appointment online or send them a WhatsApp message: +54-9-11-2780-7777. Home service tests are available. A doctor’s note may also be necessary.

  • Helio Salud: same day tests for STIs. The full STD package is very comprehensive but takes 2 weeks for results to be delivered and the results are handed to you by a doctor. Results can take 1-2 weeks.

Covid Tests🦠

Covid tests are performed at both CentraLab and Maipu listed above. Hisotest will send someone to your place and conduct the test there. A longer list of places that run Covid tests in all of Argentina can be found here.


In Buenos Aires, Aeroparque AEP (domestic) & Ezeiza EZE (international) airports provide antigen and PCR tests 24/7. Look for a big white tent outside the terminals. Antigen test results take up to 30 minutes and PCR test results take 10-12 hours. Tip: You can take a test at AEP which is within the city limits and present the results at the much farther away airport of EZE the next day.

Vaccinations 💉

There are a number of locations that provide vaccinations. In Buenos Aires you can get vaccines at Vacunar with a doctor’s note. This city of Buenos Aires also has a list of vaccine centers.

Dengue Vaccinations

There are two Dengue vaccinations in the world as of early 2024. QDenga by Takeda and Dengvaxia. Only Qdenga is available in Argentina. Having had Dengue is not a prerequisite to get the QDenga vaccine. QDenga is two doses, 3 months apart.

You could experience mild but short lived Dengue symptoms 7-12 days after getting the vaccine. Most community members who have reported getting the vaccine did not experience any symptoms.


You can get the Dengue vaccine at Vacunar, FarmaCity (some locations only), Stamboulian. Only FarmaCity required a doctor’s order at the time of this writing. The cost is roughly $70 USD, but this price may have significantly changed.

MRIs and X-Rays 🩻

MRIs and X-rays require a doctor’s note. You can get any of these done at any hospital or private medical facility. X-Rays have much shorter waiting times so walk-ins are common. MRIs require a prior appointment or “turno” in Argentine spanish.

Facilities that provide these services:

  • Diagnostico Maipu

  • Diagnostico Rossi

  • Trinidad Medical Center

  • IADT

  • Deragopyan

  • Centro Moreau

Gyms 💪

There are plenty of gyms in every major city in Argentina. Most have a day, week, or month pass option. Argentine gyms all have trainers who will set up a daily routine for you at no cost, but stop short at being 1-1 personal trainers.


"Apto Fisico"

Some gyms may require an “apto fisico” which is essentially a doctor’s note (and sometimes an EKG result) stating that you’re good to workout at a gym (no major health issues). If you need an “apto fisico” just message one of the doctors on the list or in the WA group and they will get you one quickly for a charge.


Known Gyms

A well known gym chain is “Sport Club”. A more expensive competitor is “Megatlon”. Both offer monthly and multi-month packages that include access to all their gyms in that city or in Argentina.

Air Quality 👃

Buenos Aires air quality changes day by day. There is air pollution from city pollution such as car exhausts but also wildfires from Argentina and southern Brazil that flow into Buenos Aires. Allergy season also contributes a lot of pollen and lowers the air quality.


For an up-to-date view of the city's air quality, please view the air quality tracker.

Food Poisoning 🤢

Food poisoning and other digestive related issues happen a lot less than in other countries in South America. Especially in big cities the food tends to be of much higher standards but please still take precautions like anywhere else. Read reviews online, be suspicious of prices that are significantly cheaper than the rest of the neighborhood, and overall avoid places that don't keep the place clean.

Key Medical Words and Phrases in Spanish 🗣️

Below are some key medical words and phrases in Spanish to help you get help. We have gone with the options that are easiest to pronounce. Each Spanish translation has a link to the Google Translate page so that you can click to hear 🗣️ how it is pronounced. ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Google Translate should also help.


English

Spanish

Medical emergency

Emergencia medica 

Help see

Ayuda

I need an ambulance

Necesito una ambulancia

My address is

Mi dirección es

I need help now

Necesito ayuda ya

I’m dying

Estoy muriendo

I can’t breathe

No puedo respirar

I’m bleeding out

Me estoy desangrando

I’m allergic to

Soy alergico a (masculine) / (Soy alergica a (feminine)

I’m alone

Estoy solo (masculine) / Estoy sola (feminine)

Health Communities and Forums 🫂

Still have questions or simply want to connect with others around any medical or health items?

There are a multitude of communities and forums available in Argentina, although most participants are found in Buenos Aires.


  • To begin with, the BA Medical/Health Whatsapp community that put this document together is a great place to start. Join the group here. 

  • The Buenos Aires expat Facebook group (here) is a treasure chest of information. For example, this group has a long thread of dentist recommendations (here).

  • Finally, we would be remiss to not mention the Tango Group Google Doc that is the most complete guide we have found on all things Buenos Aires. They have a very robust medical section as well. You can find the doc here, Their Whatsapp group link is here in case you are interested in Tango.

How can you contribute? 🫶

This guide depends on an active community of contributors. This guide exists thanks to the time of other people before you. Pay it forward by contributing so that someone else in the future has a better medical or health experience.

Ways to contribute:

  • Add comments to any section of this document. The admins frequently review the document and incorporate comments.

  • Add to any of the linked documents. We highly encourage only adding to these spreadsheets, not deleting.

  • Share this guide with other people using this link -> https://bit.ly/3EOLNjB

  • Join the Whatsapp group and share your knowledge! Click here to join.

  • Share the above Whatsapp group with others!


 
 
 

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