The crisis in the healthcare system of the Argentine Armed Forces is deepening and beginning to generate a climate of strong discontent within the military sphere. Similar situations are being recorded in different regions of the country, including Mar del Plata, Trelew, Bahía Blanca, Tucumán, Entre Ríos, Salta, Jujuy, Misiones, and Santa Cruz, where private providers have begun to restrict or suspend services due to accumulated debts. The crisis originates from the restructuring process of the military healthcare system driven by the Government through Decree of Necessity and Urgency 88/2026, which established the creation of OSFA and the liquidation of the previous social organization, IOSFA. Cuts in medical services, debts with providers, hospitals suspending care, and public complaints of medical abandonment paint a picture that exposes structural difficulties in the system that serves active-duty military, retirees, and their families. One of the cases that most starkly evidenced the situation occurred in the province of Mendoza, where the Hospital Español interrupted services for members of the military healthcare system due to accumulated debts from the old military social organization, the Armed Forces Social Institute (IOSFA). In response, calls for protests began to spread from organizations linked to retired military personnel and non-commissioned officers. Although the military tradition of the Armed Forces usually discourages active personnel from participating in such protests, various military sources admit that discontent among retirees and military families is steadily growing. Tension escalated further after the dramatic testimony of Sergeant Major Carlos Héctor Velázquez, a 77-year-old veteran, who denounced being left without medical care while facing cancer and, as he publicly recounted, attempted to take his own life due to the lack of responses from the military healthcare system. This case generated a strong political reaction. According to his own testimony, the military officer had contributed to the healthcare system for decades and found himself without medical care when facing a serious illness. Within military circles, many observers consider that the healthcare crisis adds to other structural problems affecting uniformed personnel, such as low salaries, housing difficulties, and the lack of updates to social benefits. Specialists in defense and security warn that the combination of these factors could affect the well-being of personnel and the morale of the troops at a time when the Armed Forces and security services are performing increasingly demanding functions in the country. Meanwhile, the central question circulating among medical providers and authorities of the military healthcare system remains unanswered: how to ensure the continuity of services for the new OSFA if the accumulated debts of its predecessor, IOSFA, have not yet been resolved. Data to highlight: the case of the Armed Forces Social Work (OSFA), created to replace the dissolved Armed Forces Social Institute (IOSFA). In accordance with the Argentine constitutional framework, the President of the Nation, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has the ultimate responsibility for guaranteeing the health and psychophysical well-being of military personnel. In this context, calls for protests began to be circulated, promoted by organizations linked to retired military personnel and non-commissioned officers. According to sources linked to the military sphere, this new healthcare structure would not be subject to a privatization process, as was the case with the security forces. The main reason is economic: for private prepaid medicine companies, the healthcare system of the Armed Forces would not be attractive from a financial point of view. The salary mass of military personnel—significantly lower than that of other state sectors—limits the volume of contributions that could sustain the system, thus reducing the potential profitability for private operators in the healthcare sector. National Deputy Lourdes Arrieta harshly criticized the management of the former Minister of Defense and current legislator Luis Petri, holding him responsible for the deterioration of the healthcare system of the Armed Forces. The legislator stated that the current state of the system represents a serious abandonment of military personnel and denounced that thousands of affiliates continue to contribute to the social work without receiving effective coverage. The episode involving Velázquez quickly became a symbol of the deterioration of the military healthcare system. The accumulated debts of the previous structure with hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and pharmacies remain unresolved, which has had an immediate effect: providers ceasing to serve members of the military system due to lack of payments. Within the military sphere, there is growing concern about the impact this situation has on the well-being of personnel. The suspension of services directly impacts thousands of beneficiaries of the new structure created by the Government, the Armed Forces Social Work (OSFA). In that Cuyo province, considered a politically relevant district for President Javier Milei, the system serves approximately 17,000 affiliates among active military, retirees, and their families. The suspension of services left this universe of patients without access to key medical services. The problem, however, is not limited to Mendoza. The declared objective of the norm was to reorganize the system to guarantee financial sustainability and improve the quality of services. However, almost three months after its implementation, the transition process is facing serious difficulties. Buenos Aires - March 9, 2026 - Total News Agency - TNA - The crisis in the healthcare system of the Argentine Armed Forces is deepening and beginning to generate a climate of strong discontent within the military sphere.
