The National Congenital Heart Disease Program (PNCC) was dismantled by decree of the Argentine government of Javier Milei on January 1, 2026, jeopardizing the care of approximately 7,000 babies born each year in the country with heart defects.
According to specialists and civil society organizations, the measure threatens to reverse healthcare advances achieved since 2008, when the program began operating at the federal level.
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“In Argentina, approximately 7,000 children are born each year with congenital heart defects. Nearly 50% require surgery in their first year of life,” the Argentine Federation of Cardiology (FAC) stated in a press release, emphasizing that “since the creation of the PNCC, mortality from these causes has been drastically reduced” thanks to a network coordinated by the national government.
The National Congenital Heart Disease Coordination Center (PNCC) had 15 specialized centers distributed throughout the country, categorized according to their complexity, and a technical team of seven professionals who ensured the immediate referral of patients through the Integrated Health Information System.
This system allowed for approximately 800 surgical procedures to be performed annually and the management of more than 6,000 case notifications. Over time, it also incorporated fetal diagnosis and care for at-risk pregnancies.
However, the Ministry of Health, headed by Mario Lugones, decided not to renew the contracts of three members of the coordinating team, which led to the collective resignation of the rest of the staff. In an internal letter, María Eugenia Olivetti, one of the team members, reported that “the medical team of the Congenital Heart Disease Coordinating Center has been dismissed” after 15 years of working together.
The consequences are immediate.
Families from the Cardiocongénitas Argentina collective warn that there are already patients on the waiting list, an unprecedented situation until Javier Milei took office. “When Milei took office, the waiting list for surgery was zero. Today, there are already patients on the waiting list,” denounced Lucía Wajsman, a leader of the group and mother of a teenager with congenital heart disease.
Wajsman emphasized that “congenital heart defects are compatible with life in 95% of cases when they are operated on,” and lamented: “What is being dismantled is the right to life of our sons and daughters.” She also revealed that one of the arguments used to justify the cuts is the supposed decline in the birth rate: “Since fewer children are being born, fewer professionals are needed. It’s a disgrace.”
President Milei, during his time as a congressman, had already rejected the Congenital Heart Disease Law (No. 27,713), passed in 2023, stating that it “implied greater state intervention in the lives of individuals and also entailed more expenses,” and that his vote was based on “liberal ideology.”
The Argentine Federation of Cardiology (FAC) and family groups demanded the immediate reconsideration of the measure, arguing that its elimination “carries direct and immediate risks: increased infant mortality and the disruption of the Federal Network.” Furthermore, they warn that the decision violates the Pediatric Emergency Law, which obligates the state to guarantee pediatric cardiovascular surgeries
