141 incoming students will have to retake the residency exam due to fraud.

Within the framework of the investigation into fraud in the Single Entrance Exam for Medical Residencies, the National Ministry of Health, led by Mario Lugones, officially announced that 127 entrants will not have to retake the test held last July 1, while 141 applicants will have to attend a new evaluation on August 7.

The statement released this Friday details that the Committee of Experts, formed to analyze the highest scores on the exam, validated the grades of 127 entrants, mostly graduates of Argentine universities. According to the health ministry, the decision was made after confirming "the academic consistency between exam performance, the average during the degree program, individual academic trajectories, and the institutional background of the university of origin, including its international recognition."

In contrast, the Ministry decided that 141 candidates, of whom almost all are foreign nationals, will have to retake the exam, which will be conducted in written and in-person format. The measure, they state, seeks to "guarantee equity, transparency, and meritocracy in access to medical residencies in the public system."

The controversy erupted after anomalies were detected in the distribution of scores: a large number of candidates scored above 86 points, a figure well above historical averages. Many of them were graduates of foreign universities, especially from Ecuador and Colombia, which raised suspicions that the exam may have been leaked or even sold, something that was ultimately proven to be true.

The Ministry emphasized that the initiative is part of a special procedure to "validate the highest scores" and responds to the need to "defend a fair selection system."

"The National Ministry of Health will not reward cheating or look the other way. A fair selection system will be defended, one that recognizes the real effort of those who chose to train with honesty," the statement affirms.

Additionally, it was recalled that the measure was adopted despite the decision of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the Province of Buenos Airesnot to support the national proposal, which included the consideration of objective variables such as institutional academic background and the international recognition of the universities of origin.

The ministry led by Mario Lugones emphasized that all candidates involved will be notified by email through the National Directorate of Quality and Talent Development in Health. "It's time for the effort of our doctors to be given its due place," the statement concludes.