Infant mortality rate is rising in Argentina under Milei after falling for 20 years

[Avocado]

Under Milei, the infant mortality rate is rising in Argentina! He cut all the money for public health spending and social programs. And this is the result! It was going down for 20 years and now look. Same thing with economy. Some things you can't see until later. Terrible!

 

[BA Bound]

I read an article about this. Very sad to see. Not a good trend. If the trend is starting after 20 years of downward numbers it means this administration definitely did something to cause the spike.

Crece la mortalidad infantil en Argentina en medio del desmantelamiento del sistema público

El recorte en programas dedicados al cuidado perinatal y el alejamiento del Estado nacional en la gestión de la salud pública son factores a tener en cuenta a la hora de indagar las causas, advierten expertos.

www.eldiario.es

 

[Avocado]

Not only are the young dying the older population is too.

 

[James Bond]

Sad to see infant mortality rates going up. I saw this on my X feed and sure enough there was already a thread here about it.

 

[RN in BA]

Sad to see infant mortality rates going up. I saw this on my X feed and sure enough there was already a thread here about it.

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The most direct medical driver of the increase is a rise in neonatal mortality (deaths occurring within the first 27 days of life, and particularly the first week). The primary medical cause within this window is premature births.

Most health experts note a significant drop in early and consistent prenatal check-ups. Without these routine controls, doctors lose the ability to detect high-risk pregnancies, anticipate complications, or intervene early enough to prevent premature births.

Argentina's ongoing economic turmoil has a direct impact on maternal and infant health.

Sharp increases in poverty and extreme poverty mean pregnant individuals are facing higher levels of malnutrition, stress, and anxiety.

Due to economic hardship and transportation costs, many vulnerable families are delaying routine medical visits, only interacting with the healthcare system when a situation becomes an acute emergency.

Health organizations, such as the Fundación Soberanía Sanitaria, have pointed to recent federal austerity measures and cuts to the public health sector under the new administration. Specific issues cited include:

The suspension or defunding of targeted maternal-infant programs, such as the "Plan Sueño Seguro," which provided cribs to vulnerable families to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

A weakening of the federal Ministry of Health's role in distributing resources, leaving cash-strapped provinces to shoulder the burden of maternal care on their own.

And also the decrease in birth rates in the mortality rate is happening alongside a historic crash in the overall birth rate in Argentina. The absolute number of babies being born has plummeted by nearly half over the last decade. But, because fewer babies are being born overall, a larger proportion of those who are born are situated in highly vulnerable, marginalized sectors that lack adequate healthcare safety nets, which pushes the mortality rate higher.