Argentina Is Following In Trumps' Footsteps And Leaving The WHO
Is Argentina turning into the US… but even worse?
On Wednesday Feb. 5, Argentina’s far-right president Javier Milei announced that the country would follow in the US’ footsteps and withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO).
This came after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order during his first day in office on Jan. 20,to start the process of pulling the US out from the WHO, accusing the organization of mishandling the COVID-19 a pandemic, being a financial burden and lacking independence.
But who even is Milei and why is he copying Trump?
Nicknamed “El Loco” – the madman – Milei, who was elected in November 2023, has been called a “more excessive and unstable” version of Trump and far-right former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.
After Trump was re-elected, Milei called it "the greatest political comeback in history"and announced Argentina would follow in the US’ footsteps and withdraw from the WHO.
Milei criticized the WHO's guidance on physical distancing during the pandemic and accused it of being "the executing arm of what was the greatest experiment in social control in history".
In its official press release, Milei’s government blamed the WHO for worsening Argentina’s economic crisis and called its advice on self-isolation a "crime against humanity".
On the same day, Milei also said the country will ban children from getting gender transition treatments and surgeries.
The presidential spokesperson said the ban includes hormonal therapy and will protect “children’s mental health”, according to Reuters.
The government also introduced new rules for transgender prisoners, saying they will be housed based on their gender at the time of the crime, Reuters reported.
The move was again similar to another by Trump on Jan. 20, when he ordered 16 trans women in women’s prisons to be moved to men’s prisons and ended their gender-affirming care.
Trump’s move was later blocked by a US judge, but Milei’s office has justified Argentina’s ban.
"Gender ideology taken to extremes and applied to children by force or psychological coercion clearly constitutes child abuse," Milei’s office said.
Meanwhile, Argentina’s spokesperson said Argentina does not receive healthcare funding from the WHO and its withdrawal will not affect the “quality of the health care services” in the country, according to the Buenos Aires Herald.
An Argentinian healthcare organization, Fundación Soberania Sanitaria, said the withdrawal will have severe consequences for Argentina, including losing access to vital funding for medical supplies and collaborative health networks.
It said Argentina would also struggle to respond to future pandemics, disasters and emerging health threats without international cooperation, ultimately diminishing the country’s health care quality.
Although Argentina announced it will withdraw from the WHO, it won’t withdraw from the Pan American Healthcare Organization(PAHO), a branch of the WHO focused on the Americas.
The WHO has said that it is reviewing Argentina’s decision to withdraw.
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Emily Chen
Kassy Cho
