This article strives to analyse the impact that the economic model implemented during each period of Argentina’s history had on shaping the country’s health system. Being able to consider this dimension from the standpoint of social work adds complexity to our approach and enables us to understand what specific consequences are brought about for the population we are working with due to the different health policies a government enacts based on the budget assigned to them. This relates to access to the right to health for which we social workers must fight.
The author will focus particularly on the impact of these economic models on the treatment of mental illnesses, analysing the different paradigms and actors involved in these processes.