Useful Guide for international visitors The Argentine Republic Argentine’s Health System City of Buenos Aires Weather Accommodation Transportation Communications Money Food What to do in Buenos Aires Safety SUMMARY Welcome! You have arrived in Buenos Aires, capital to the Argentine Republic. Here you will find useful information to make sure your stay in our country becomes an unforgettable experience. The Argentine Republic Argentina is South America’s second largest country, covering a surface of 3.761.274 km2: around 55% of plains, a 20% of plateaus and a 20% of mountains, being the rest the Antarctic Area. It shares borders with Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay, the rest being Atlantic Ocean coastline. Its name comes from the Latin "argentum", which means silver. The origin of this name goes back to the first Spanish Conquerors that came to River Plate. The National territory is made up of 23 provinces and the Federal District (Buenos Aires). Its government, according to the National Constitution, adopts the representative, republican and federal form. The official language is Spanish. You may reach the country by plane, arriving at Ministro Pistarini International Airport (also called Ezeiza), located 35 kms away from the Federal District downtown. To get to your destination, you can take a bus service from the airport, such as the bus line 8 (very cheap, long trip with many stops before its final destination, City Downtown) or one from Manuel Tienda León (more comfortable, and more expensive), as well as taxis and remises (car rented with driver). Also you might arrive by bus, to Retiro (recommended if you are to stay near downtown) or to Liniers station. If you are coming from bordering countries, you will need to bring with you a valid national ID. Visitors from other countries must bring their valid passport, with or without endorsement, depending on the case. In some cases a Visa is required as well. Maximum time allowed for staying in the country with tourist status is 90 days. Visitors coming from non neighboring countries do not pay taxes for baggage or new products up to U$S 300 and additional U$S 300 if products were bought in free shops authorized in national territory. No certificate of vaccines is required when entering the country, though it is very important to ask your doctor about everything related to immunization, and compulsory and suggested vaccines. Before starting your rotation at the British Hospital, you will need to submit your immunization status. Argentina has a great variety of climates: mild and humid on the Pampa plains, cold and humid in the south of Patagonia, subtropical in the North of Mesopotamia and hot in the Northeast. From November to March, the average temperature is of 23° C and, from June to September it is of 12° C. Temperature measure unit: Celsius. Official Time is GMT -03:00. Mains electricity is 220V/50htz. The official currency is the argentine Peso. Bills are of 100/50/20/10/5/2 pesos. Coins are of 2 pesos, 1 peso, and 0.50/0.25/0.10/0.05 cents. The current population of Argentina is over 40 million inhabitants, of whom almost half of them live in Capital Federal and in the Province of Buenos Aires. Argentines are mainly descendants of Italian and Spanish stock. The official religion is Roman Catholic, though, there is freedom of cult. Argentina’s Health Care System Nowadays, the country’s health system is organized around three main providers In the first place, there is a Public Sector, formed by public Hospitals and Primary Care Centres working under the coordination of national, provincial and municipal Health Ministries and Secretaries; supplying free clinical care for hospital inpatients and outpatients. Public medical institutions are free of charge for both nationals and foreigners, and the only charges for both are prescription charges for outpatients. On the other hand, there is a Private Sector, formed by a pre-paid medicine network, which offers wide coverage in health services but the patient meets the total cost of their medical care in advance. Private health insurance premiums vary depending on age and family needs, as well as the risk that the insured person may represent. In general these companies do not cover pre-existing conditions. Between these two options, there is Mutual or Social Security (Obras Sociales), most of them being administrated by trade unions. Both employers and employees are obliged to pay into a health insurance scheme organized by a trade union, and then, the Social Security covers the cost of medical care and medicines in varying proportions: many times patients have to pay the difference between the cost of treatment and a fixed fee. There is also what is called the Integral Medical Assistance Program (PAMI), a health insurance plan for those who are covered by national social security program, being most of them retired workers, the pensioned, the handicapped, and war veterans. Most people (around 85%) are covered either by the public health care system, or the social security system. Affiliation to private care medicine concentrates mainly in Buenos Aires City, as well as in the Great Buenos Aires and some areas of the bigger provinces (Santa Fe, Córdoba, and Mendoza). The Argentinean government strives to offer medical access to all its inhabitants. However, access for people in big cities is more readily available than in smaller cities or remote areas. Argentina has both public and private hospitals: the first are pretty basic when it comes to infrastructure, but its staff is very well trained; the second are generally very well equipped when it comes to infrastructure, and also employ very good professionals. The City of Buenos Aires Also known as “La Reina del Plata” (Queen of the River Plate), the City of Buenos Aires can be described as one of the most exciting cities in the continent, characterized by having a wide variety of artistic and cultural expressions. Argentina’s Federal District was born by the banks of the Rio de la Plata, covering a surface of around 200 km2. It also borders with the “Riachuelo” to the South, and is outlined by the General Paz Avenue, a ring-road which fringes the city from North to West. The city is home to residents, to tourists, to many students from the area and from the inner provinces in the country and, of course, those from abroad. Approximately 20.000 international students come to Buenos Aires, to live and study in one of the over 40 universities in town, proving that Buenos Aires is an excellent choice to study abroad. down at night. Winters are mild, with an Buenos Aires has a temperate average temperature of 8 ° C , July climate, and an annual average being usually the coldest month of temperature of 18 ºC (64ºF). the year. Days are cold, and The summers are warm and temperature rises considerably humid, with an average temperature of down at night. Temperatures under 0 ° 28° C, hot mornings and high C rarely occur. temperatures in the afternoon, rising Accomodation The Hospital does not provide lodgings, but there are several options for you to choose from: rooms for rent in family houses or in furnished apartments, in students’ residences or hostels. There are plenty of reasonable hotels available also. Family houses are a nice choice, as it allows you to live with a local family, being able to become familiarized with the Spanish language, as well as learning argentine habits. Students’ residences are also popular, as you get in touch with other local and international students, being able to share experiences. In case you are thinking about renting an apartment, we recommend paying attention to the location chosen, as some neighborhoods are more deserted at night, or weekends. If you are interested, the Hospital can provide you with a list of recommended places to stay in. Transportation From abroad, you can arrive in Buenos Aires at its International Airport, or with a domestic flight from another province at the Jorge Newbery Airfield, or by bus in either of its two terminals. Then, to move around the city, there is subway network, and over a hundred bus lines and various train lines join the city with the rest of the Districts in Greater Buenos Aires. You will find taxis and remises as well. Finally, there are also vessels, ferries and cruises that cross the river to and from neighboring Uruguay. you need to get a “SUBE” card. It is purchased by showing an ID in kiosks, lottery agencies and mail offices (it costs around $20), and can be charged at subway/train stations and other places that display the SUBE sign, usually kiosks. In order to travel by train, bus or subway, You can also travel without a SUBE card, but payment method accepted in buses. it will be more expensive. SUBE is the only More info: http://www.sube.gob.ar/ Subway: The Buenos Aires subway rail has six different lines, all identified with a color: A (light blue color - Microcentro - downtown - to Flores), B (red color - Microcentro to Villa Urquiza), C (blue color - Retiro to Constitución), D (green color- Microcentro to Belgrano) E (violet color - Microcentro to Flores) and H (yellow color - Once to Parque Patricios), which will get you to your destination within the city in a matter of minutes. Most station’s names refer to the nearest street, building or place of interest. Subways are available from 6 am to 11 pm. Morning rush hour is from 7 to 10 am and in the afternoon; from 5 to 8 pm. Connections for switching lines are available in some stations.