The head of government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Jorge Macri, inaugurated the first diagnostic center prioritizing local residents in Villa Urquiza. The new center aims to organize health demand and charge non-resident patients under the Prioridad Porteña program. Macri stated that 'the City will no longer be a free prepaid health plan for any foreigner'.
On March 11, 2026, Jorge Macri, the head of government of Buenos Aires, inaugurated a state-of-the-art Diagnostic Center in Villa Urquiza at Galván 3463. This center is part of the Prioridad Porteña program, which provides preferential care to local residents and implements a charging system for foreign patients. According to official data from the Buenos Aires Government, this mechanism recovers approximately 17 billion pesos monthly, allocated to modernize infrastructure and equipment in the public health system.
During the event, accompanied by Fernán Quirós and Alberto Crescenti, Macri emphasized: “We have set a limit to an injustice disguised as solidarity.” He also stated: “The City will no longer be a free prepaid health plan for any foreigner.” The goal is to streamline care and ensure resources primarily benefit the City's residents.
The center, operating Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., will initially serve over 500,000 residents from neighborhoods including Villa Urquiza, Saavedra, Villa Pueyrredón, Coghlan, Belgrano, Núñez, and Colegiales. It features two floors: the ground floor for imaging (mammograms, X-rays, ultrasounds, panoramic dentistry), pharmacy, and gynecology consultations; the upper floor for medical specialties, sterilization, and a waiting area. It also includes a SAME base and a Day Center for emergencies and chronic patient follow-up.
This center integrates into a three-level health system: the first level with 50 CeSAC for primary care; the second with Porteños Diagnostic Centers, now three operational (Villa Urquiza, La Paternal, and Barracas), and a fourth under construction in Palermo; and the third with 34 general and specialized hospitals for high-complexity care.
