Quintas takes over the leadership of ANES with the rank of Secretary

The national Government appointed Dr. Luis Quintas as National Administrator of the National Administration of Health Establishments (ANES), with the rank and hierarchy of Secretary, effective October 19, 2026. The decision was formalized through Decree 1217/2026 (DECTO-2026-1217-APN-PTE), signed by President Milei and Mario Iván Lugones, and published in the Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic on October 20, 2026. The same regulation accepts Quintas’ resignation from the position of Executive Director of the “Professor Alejandro Posadas” National Hospital, which depends on the agency itself.

The decree is issued based on Article 99, subsection 7 of the National Constitution, which empowers the Executive Branch to appoint and remove officials whose appointment is not otherwise regulated by the Constitution. ANES is a decentralized agency operating under the orbit of the Ministry of Health, and the appointment grants its head a rank equivalent to that of a ministerial secretary, above the directorial hierarchy that Quintas had held until now at the main public reference hospital.

A brief decree, with four articles

The regulation published in the First Section of the Official Gazette is limited to resolving the situation of a single official in two positions within the same agency:

• Article 1: accepts, as of October 19, 2026, the resignation of Luis Quintas (D.N.I. No. 11,216,855) as Executive Director of the “Professor Alejandro Posadas” National Hospital.
• Article 2: thanks the official for the services rendered in that position.
• Article 3: appoints him, also from October 19, 2026, as National Administrator of ANES, with the rank and hierarchy of Secretary.
• Article 4: orders the communication, publication, and intervention of the National Directorate of the Official Registry.

The text does not include recitals nor does it explain the reasons for the resignation or the promotion: it is limited to the reference to Article 99 of the National Constitution and the four resolutive articles.

From Posadas to the leadership of the entire agency

The move concentrates in one person the departure from the executive direction of the “Professor Alejandro Posadas” National Hospital and the political and administrative leadership of ANES, the entity that groups national hospital establishments. The resignation and the appointment have the same effective date, October 19, 2026, one day before the publication in the Official Gazette.

The ANES appears in the National Budget as Entity 919 of Jurisdiction 80 – Ministry of Health, with specific programs per establishment, as stated in the agency’s own proceedings published in the Official Gazette. Operating under its orbit are, among others, the “Professor Alejandro Posadas” National Hospital and the “Lic. Laura Bonaparte” National Specialized Network Hospital for Mental Health and Addictions, whose personnel appointments and purchases are processed with the intervention of the ANES.

Scope of the new leadership

With the rank of Secretary, the National Administrator of the ANES is authorized to intervene in decisions regarding structure, personnel, and contracting for national hospitals, an area that in recent months has concentrated a significant volume of public tenders and temporary coverage of hierarchical positions. The hierarchy assigned to the position also implies direct dialogue with the Ministry of Health and with the State transformation areas responsible for approving structures and appointments.

For readers, the relevance of the measure is twofold: it defines who leads the network of national hospitals in a context of strong contractual activity and position coverage, and it confirms that the departure of the head of the Posadas did not imply a displacement out of the area, but rather a promotion within the same agency. The decree does not anticipate names for the executive direction of the Posadas, which has remained vacant since October 19, 2026.

Source: Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic, October 20, 2026, First Section, page 1 (official reference: DECTO-2026-1217-APN-PTE).