Minister Mario Lugones welcomed the doctors who took the residency exams

Amid the controversy over the suspicious results  of the Unified Exam for medical residencies, the  Minister of Health of the Nation, Mario Lugones, made a significant gesture toward Argentine doctors, whom he received and supported.

The official delivered a strong message of support to the doctors in a context in which  141 applicants, mostly foreigners, had to take a new evaluation under strict controls, after serious irregularities were detected in the first test.

"While others had to revalidate their scores due to serious irregularities, I received doctors who not only prepared with enormous effort to enter the residencies, but also defended the value of merit, honesty, and training," said Lugones.

"We recognized ourselves as what we are: part of the same vocation, which begins at the university and is projected in every patient, every shift, in the future of the health system," he added.

According to Lugones, sharing and listening to the doctors "confirmed to us that we're on the right path", so he expressed his congratulations to "those who study, make an effort, and understand that one can't be a good doctor if one is not, first, a good person."

Regarding the exams for medical residencies, which were strictly monitored after suspicions of cheating, Lugones stated: "Reviewing and correcting was an obligation. We validated what was correct, incorporated a fair criterion to prioritize those who trained at Argentine universities with 5 points and restored equity in admissions."

New exam for medical residencies

On Thursday, 141 applicants, mostly foreigners, took the exam again. The new evaluation was held at Palacio Libertad, under strict controls, after serious irregularities were detected in the first test, which took place on July 1 at Parque Roca.

Of those summoned for having obtained suspicious results, 117 doctors appeared to retake the exam and validate their scores, according to the Secretary of Health Management of the Ministry of Health of the Nation, Alejandro Vilches.

Among those who attended this new evaluation was also the  Ecuadorian doctor accused of using digital glasses to cheat, as confirmed by the official himself.

The Ministry of Health of the Nation, led by Lugones, organized this extraordinary instance for those who produced inconsistent results in the previous evaluation. In addition, Javier Milei's government filed a criminal complaint against those who committed fraud or were accomplices in the scandal of the Unified Medical Residency Exam, held last July 1.

"The bibliography includes 100% new questions compared to the previous ones. If the new score is not compatible or consistent with the previous one, the residency can't be awarded. If someone scores 90 points under normal security conditions, the result is valid. This is an exam with 117 candidates, which makes any attempt to cheat difficult," explained Vilches.