Updated on May 21 at 9:00 a.m. to reflect that the protest took place

Social organizations, trade unions and healthcare workers marched on Argentina’s Health Ministry on Wednesday to protest President Javier Milei’s budget cuts amid growing concern over the deterioration of the country’s public health system.

The “Federal March for Public Health” aimed to shed light on the impact of spending cuts on hospitals, medicine programs and vaccination campaigns nationwide. 

According to the health advocacy group Fundación Soberanía Sanitaria (Health Sovereignty Foundation), spending in the Health Ministry fell 34% in the first two years of the libertarian government that came into power in December 2023.

Organizers warned that key initiatives such as the Remediar (Remedy) program — which provided free essential medicines to millions — have been scaled back or interrupted, while vaccine distribution has reportedly faced delays and shortages in several provinces.

“The cuts are beginning to be felt in every hospital, every health center, and by every patient who cannot access treatment,” said Manuel Fonseca, a member of the advocacy group Foro por el Derecho a la Salud (Forum for the Right to Health), one of the organizations behind the protest. 

He argued that the cuts disproportionately affect vulnerable sectors that rely exclusively on the public healthcare system.

‘Health cannot wait’

The demonstration, held under the slogan “Health Cannot Wait,” brought together unions, medical associations, students and healthcare workers from across the country. 

Protesters marched from the Health Ministry building in downtown Buenos Aires toward Plaza de Mayo, in front of the presidential palace, the Casa Rosada.

The mobilization came amid broader tensions over the Milei administration’s austerity policies, which have also sparked protests by universities and provincial governments over cuts to education and social spending.

With information from Ámbito