Health Suffering in Argentina’s Villa 21-24: Lessons Learned from Environmental and Urban Neglect

Abstract

This thesis aims to study the means of health suffering in Villa 21-24 and how the prevalence of disease coexists and possibly interacts with income level, employment status, household conditions, environmental pollution, and other social determinants of health. Villa 21-24 is the largest slum inside of Buenos Aires, Argentina. I visited a malnutrition-focused clinic and interviewed 9 professionals and recorded 81 infant health files that are used to portray life inside of the Villa. This data is compared frequently to a larger government study. In the end I discuss the rights of the residents and a slew of recent urbanization interventions that resulted from a famous Supreme Court case. Argentina’s constitution amply supports the right to health, clean water, a decent home, and a clean environment, yet most of the Villa resident’s would complain at this hypocrisy. The Villa inhabitants are the most vulnerable citizens in the city, are extremely sick and are marginalized. The majority of the construction jobs and relocation efforts mandated from the Supreme Court ruling have been delayed by many years, and when performed they often do not consider the dignity of the residents. The Villa inhabits thus experience a chronic sense of waiting for life improvements that never come.