MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina to charge non-resident aliens for medical care and college education

“This is a country for those who come to build, not to destroy,” Adorni noted

Argentina's Libertarian Government plans to reform the country's migration laws, including charging non-resident foreigners for medical attention and college tuition, among other initiatives, Presidential Spokesman Manuel Adorni announced Tuesday.

 “We are going to promote a series of modifications to the migratory regime in order to move towards an orderly country, which takes care of its borders and its citizens,” Adorni explained. “National universities will be able to charge fees to non-resident foreign students,” which would be a “source of income” for them, he added. He also pointed out that up to one-third of medical students were foreigners. Overall, foreign students represent 4.3% of the public university enrollment in Argentina (79,834 students in undergraduate courses). Most stem from Latin American countries, mainly Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Chile.

Regarding free medical care, Adorni highlighted that since a similar measure was adopted in the province of Salta, ”foreign care was reduced to 95% and a saving of AR$ 60 million (around US$ 60,000) was generated,“ which would result in ”better care“ to the Argentine population. Under the new norm, national, provincial, or municipal bodies will define the conditions of access to healthcare services, including the possibility of charging for them. ”We say goodbye to the famous health tours that are so well known here,“ Adorni stressed.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña said the measure was ”a sovereign decision of Argentina that cannot be questioned.“ Paraguayans and Bolivians are believed to top the list of foreigners traveling to Argentina to get free-of-charge medical attention.

Adorni also mentioned that a bill would be sent to Congress to extend the list of crimes for which re-entry to the country will be prevented or which could justify the expulsion of foreign citizens. If an alien is caught ”committing a crime or violating the democratic system,“ he or she will automatically be expelled from the country and barred from re-entering. In addition, prison sentences will be imposed on those who violate the re-entry ban, Adorni pointed out. ”From now on, miscreants and opportunists must stay in their homes on the other side of the border and not come to Argentina to harm citizens residing in national territory,“ he argued. Border controls will also be strengthened to deny entry to persons with irregular documentation or those suspected of seeking to enter with intentions other than those declared. ”The objective is clear: crooks, squatters, and opportunists must stay outside our borders. This is a country for those who come to build, not to destroy,” he noted.