Milei's vow to veto Argentine public hospital funding risks midterm backlash

Pamela Barraza, a nurse at Garrahan children's hospital, a leading center for pediatric surgery and organ transplants that is now at the heart of the country's escalating public hospital crisis, holds a banner that reads "Nursing", outside the hospital, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 13, 2025. REUTERS/Mariana Nedelcu

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentine President Javier Milei's hopes of gaining greater control of the legislature in upcoming midterm elections could be facing a stiff challenge from his determination to veto more funding for struggling public hospitals, latest polls suggest.

Milei has been riding a wave of popular support after taming seemingly intractable inflation, which is expected to fall below 30% annually in 2025 compared to triple-digit figures in the recent past.