A report warned that the real budget of the Garrahan Hospital fell by 54% in one year.
A report by the Health Sovereignty Foundation denounced that the Garrahan Hospital budget fell 54% in real terms over the last year. According to the document, the reduction is due to a lack of updates in response to the 117.8% inflation recorded in 2024. The situation occurs amid a conflict with hospital workers, who are demanding an urgent salary increase .
The organization warned that the lack of budget increases jeopardizes equitable and quality access to pediatric healthcare . "Failure to update the budget is, in fact, a political decision to underfund it," they stated.
[Report 90]? The public hospital that knew how to reach every corner. Garrahan, the country's main pediatric hospital and a benchmark in Latin America, is facing brutal cuts. Staffing is becoming precarious, and service is deteriorating.
The Health Sovereignty Foundation noted that the adjustment is not just expressed in numbers: it is reflected in frozen salaries , the loss of specialized personnel, deteriorating working conditions, and a direct impact on the quality of care.
In this context, Garrahan workers called for a demonstration this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. , departing from Congress to Plaza de Mayo. The hospital has 4,728 permanent employees , and according to the report, nearly 100 professionals resigned due to the budget freeze.
The document highlights that in sensitive areas such as intensive care, one doctor is needed for every six to eight beds, but double or triple the number of nurses to ensure care. The lack of staffing jeopardizes not only daily care, but also medical training and research functions.
According to the Hospital's Board of Directors , 55% of the budget is allocated to salaries, 30% to general operations, and the remainder to capital goods. In 2024, the allocated amount was $169.445 billion, and according to the Foundation, the same amount has been extended to 2025, without adjusting for inflation.
With inflation at 117.8% , the real budget loss was 54%, compounded by larger increases in key supplies such as medications . Garrahan not only serves patients without health insurance, but also receives cases referred from social security, prepaid health plans, and neighboring countries.
Due to its level of specialization, it is considered a regional reference center , which reinforces the need to sustain its operation with adequate financing.
"Garrahan Hospital not only responds to pediatric emergencies; it also trains professionals who later work in other hospitals and private centers," the report states. The decrease in Garrahan Hospital's budget occurs within the framework of the austerity policies promoted by Javier Milei and puts both current and future care for the children's health system at risk.
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