It was December 14, 2023. The new Board of Directors took over the leadership of the SAC in a completely new and unpredictable context in Argentina. An elected government with a completely different ideology. In those first months, a shock economic policy determined an enormous unpredictability in all areas of the country. The ignorance of the new rules of the game, the updating of relative prices, the impossibility of planning a budget, the project of dollarization, cutbacks in very sensitive areas such as science and education, a social crisis that was difficult to overcome, the reduction of income and fees for the entire population, created an uncertain future. We, the SAC, were not exempt from all these adversities. I remember the enormous number of hours and meetings that the Board of Directors, the staff of the Society and the sponsors had to spend in those first six months to structure and implement a budget based on strategies that were partly studied and partly intuitive.

There was probably a factor that was overlooked. Not because of ignorance. But because sometimes you do not know how some variables play out in the game "Institution" versus "Circumstances". And we won by a landslide...because of the enormous creative capacity of our members, their love for their Society, their ability to work and their eagerness to learn, unique qualities to overcome any difficulty. And in this combination, and although it may not seem so idyllic, delays in payment were minimal.

And that is how it was. There has been a record number of participants in courses and congresses on Cardiovascular Imaging, Cardiovascular Prevention, Cardiometabolism and Hypertension, in webinars and in attendance to conferences nationwide. Likewise, a tremendous amount of work was done by the Areas and Councils in the generation of consensus and position documents on various topics that place us as regional leaders. The SAC Cardiology Manual, the first in our history. Podcasts, permanent dissemination of all our activities from the ARI and Press and Communication Area, our new SAC streaming channel and the joy and enthusiasm of our people have enriched our institutional life. We are very grateful to our sponsors who have accompanied us because they see in the SAC a mystique of work that is essential for a successful investment.

In a few days we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of a historical milestone for our SAC, which was the organization of the VII World Congress of Cardiology in 1974, which allowed us to open our doors and integrate ourselves definitively with the world. The venue of the Sociedad Rural de Palermo will be the scene of the largest Spanish-speaking congress worldwide. There will be 18 meeting rooms with simultaneous activities, 1300 speakers, 2500 scientific participations, 160 round tables and meetings, 380 papers presented, 57 foreign guests and the presence of the presidents of Latin American Societies, ACC, AHA and European Societies.

A party organized by our members, residents, nurses, technicians, our Foundation and our patients. Our people...

Víctor Mauro ^MTSAC,  
President of the Argentine Society of Cardiology