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Genetic testing and services in Argentina

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Abstract

Argentina is a middle-income country with a population of 40 million people. The structure of morbidity and mortality approaches that of more developed nations, with congenital and genetic disorders contributing significantly to ill health. The health delivery system is mixed, with public, social security, and private sectors which together spend close to 10 % of the GNP. Health subsectors are decentralized at provincial and municipality levels, where health planning and financing occurs, leading to fragmentation, inefficiency, and inequities. There are about 41 clinical genetic units in major medical centers in large cities, staffed by about 120 clinical geneticists, although only a few units are fully comprehensive genetic centers. Duplications, deficiencies, and poor regionalization and coordination affect health care delivery in general and in genetics. Funding for genetic services is limited due to poor understanding and lack of political will on the part of health authorities. Recently, however, there have been some interesting initiatives by national and provincial ministries of health to improve genetic services delivery by increasing coordination and regionalization. At the same time, training in genetics of health professionals is occurring, particularly in primary health care, and registries of congenital defects are being put in place. These developments are occurring in conjunction with a new awareness by health authorities of the importance of genetics in health care and research, a heightened activism of patient organizations demanding services for neglected conditions, as well as of women movements for the right to safe abortion.

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Acknowledgments

The survey was supported by (1) the "Institute for Health and Consumer Protection" (Italy), one of the seven scientific institutes of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission; (2) the Department of Human Genetics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; and (3) the Unit of Women's Health Research, Medical School, Westfaelische Wilhelms-Universitaet Muenster, Muenster, Germany. I am indebted to many colleagues for providing me with information, particularly Dr. Cristina Barreiro of the Genetic Service of the National Pediatric Hospital Garrahan and Rosa Liascovich from the National Medical Genetics Center of the Ministry of Health.

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  1. Argentine Centre of Genetics and Public Health, Department of Health Sciences, Universidad Nacional de La Matanza, República de la India 2873, 1425, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Victor B. Penchaszadeh

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Correspondence to Victor B. Penchaszadeh.

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Penchaszadeh, V.B. Genetic testing and services in Argentina. J Community Genet 4, 343–354 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12687-012-0093-1

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