Businessman Alberto Samid was transferred this Tuesday from Punta del Este, Uruguay, to Buenos Aires in a sanitary flight managed by the Province of Buenos Aires, following complications from a urinary infection. Samid criticized Governor Axel Kicillof and the Tourism Secretariat for the initial lack of assistance. Health Minister Nicolás Kreplak intervened to facilitate the transfer through the patient's prepaid health service.
Alberto Samid, known as the 'King of meat', was hospitalized at Sanatorio Cantegril in Punta del Este, Uruguay, after a urinary infection was complicated by the detection of a virus in the blood. On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, he was transferred to Buenos Aires in a sanitary flight, arriving in the afternoon.
The transfer was managed by the Province of Buenos Aires, specifically by Health Minister Nicolás Kreplak, who confirmed on his social media that he had spoken by phone with Samid. 'I already spoke on the phone with Alberto. He is a patient of a prepaid health service and we intermediated so they can bring him to Buenos Aires in a sanitary flight and recover closer to his home. Strength!', Kreplak posted. In response to the criticisms, the minister added: 'whenever I can, I intervene myself, or my team, to help. Any citizen. It's part of the job of being a doctor and even more a public official'.
Before boarding the plane at Laguna del Sauce airport, Samid arrived by ambulance and expressed his frustration over the delays. 'I'm stable, I'm calm, but I still have the virus inside. I have to leave quickly so they can detect what the hell it is. They couldn't detect it here', he stated. He questioned the lack of response from Buenos Aires authorities: 'Neither of them paid attention to me. Both played dumb. If it happens to me, who is a known guy... poor someone who is not known. They don't even answer the phone'. He also criticized the Tourism Secretariat: 'What the f*** do we have the Tourism Secretariat for if it's not to help?'.
Samid and his wife had requested help for the flight, which he was willing to pay for. He thanked the medical attention in Uruguay but emphasized the urgency of returning to continue tests and treatment in Argentina. No details are mentioned about his judicial situation in relation to the transfer.
