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11h ago

Argentina Senate Passes 'Nicolás' Patient-Safety Law and Backs Newborn SMA Screening

The reform prioritizes mandatory reporting and standardized protocols to cut avoidable harm without new public spending, according to the congressional budget office.

Gabriela Covelli con sus hijos. Nicolás (izquierda) murió por mala praxis.
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Familiares de una víctima de mala praxis celebraron la sanción del proyecto.

Overview

  • Senators approved the patient-safety law 69–1, with PRO’s Carmen Álvarez Rivero casting the lone no vote and arguing the system needs clearer competencies and financing first.
  • The law requires clinical protocols, audit and self-evaluation plans, standardized surveillance, limits on shift length, minimum staffing levels, and a unified sentinel-events registry with annual disclosures.
  • It also promotes unified records of sanctions and disqualifications and mandates periodic verification of health professionals’ aptitudes and training in quality and safety.
  • The measure is named for Nicolás Deanna, whose family led a multi-year campaign after his fatal undetected bacterial meningitis; relatives attended the vote.
  • In a separate unanimous vote (70–0), the Senate gave preliminary approval to add spinal muscular atrophy to neonatal screening at an estimated additional cost of US$1.65 per test, sending the bill to the lower house.