The government seeks to align itself with the new health standards of the United States
Another key point on the agenda is the control over food additives and fast-track drug authorization processes. The goal will be to limit the use of synthetic ingredients with possible chronic effects and to review fast-track permits for high-cost treatments, especially those intended for children or rare diseases.
In the context of the official visit of the United States Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Ministry of Health of the Nation, led by Mario Lugones, announced a set of structural reforms that mark a deep change in the Argentine healthcare system. The core of the new approach will be to shift from a disease-centered model to one based on prevention, scientific evidence, and national sovereignty.
Among the main measures is the review of national health agencies, with the aim of updating, increasing transparency, and organizing structures that for years have operated with overlaps, outdated regulations, and limited oversight. "The system must serve people, not bureaucracy," officials from the health ministry emphasized.
In an unprecedented decision, Argentina is withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the official statement, the organization's policies "no longer respond to scientific criteria but to political interests and bureaucratic structures that refuse to review their own mistakes."
The Ministry criticized that the WHO 'has chosen to expand competencies that do not belong to it', and called on the international community to reconsider the role of supranational organizations, demanding accountability and respect for the health sovereignty of member states.
Regarding vaccines, the new approach requires more placebo-controlled clinical studies and solid evidence. Exceptions such as the one that allowed the emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines without controls comparable to those of other drugs will be ended. "To review is not to deny; it is to demand more evidence, not less," they stated.
Additionally, the government reaffirmed its commitment to vaccination campaigns with proven efficacy, such as the measles campaign, which will continue with international scientific consensus.
