Following suspicions of fraud in the Single Residency Examination on July 1, 117 doctors—mostly foreigners—took a new exam under strict security measures. None were able to revalidate their original qualification.
• None of the applicants matched the score obtained in the first evaluation under suspicion.
• The Ministry of Health detected manipulations with electronic devices and filed a criminal complaint against a doctor.
• The results will be published on the official website this afternoon.
Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni confirmed that none of the 117 physicians who participated in the second round of the Single Residency Exam were able to maintain the score they achieved in the previous evaluation, held on July 1 and under investigation for fraud. The new test was conducted yesterday at the Palacio Libertad, convened by the Ministry of Health for a group of 141 applicants who had obtained results inconsistent with their academic record.
“None of the 117 applicants were able to revalidate their score,” Adorni declared at his press conference at the Casa Rosada. The official described the difference between the two exams as “absolutely scandalous” and announced that the results will be available this afternoon on the Ministry of Health’s official website.
The case that sparked the investigation involves an Ecuadorian doctor who has been criminally charged, accused of using camera glasses to record the evaluation and send the content to an external collaborator, then receiving the answers via electronic means. According to the Ministry, there were paid groups on Telegram and WhatsApp where solutions and answers were offered, as well as the use of headsets and other devices to assist applicants.
The security operation for this new phase included a ban on cell phones, smartwatches, calculators, and any type of electronic glasses. Applicants' movements were monitored by personnel from the National Directorate of Quality and Talent Development in Health and security forces.
The test consisted of 100 multiple-choice questions on child, women's, adult, and public health, with a maximum duration of four hours. All questions were unpublished and were marked exclusively on the grid marked by each participant.
The criteria established by the authorities indicated that the original grade would be maintained only if the new result did not differ more than 10% from the previous one. Otherwise, the grade obtained on the second test would replace the initial grade.
One of the doctors who took the exam, an Ecuadorian national, told the press: “The exam was more difficult. It took me an hour longer to complete. There were quite a few questions that weren't part of what I had studied. I feel like I was pretty hesitant and think I could get a lower grade than I did last time.”
Those who did not apply for this application will be excluded from the residency award process in 2025. Health Minister Mario Lugones emphasized on social media the need to"defend merit" and guarantee a selection system that is "transparent, free of irregularities, and that rewards the genuine knowledge of applicants."
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