The Secretary of Worship and Civilization, Nahuel Sotelo, presented a situation that highlights the contradiction between the discourse and the practice of the Buenos Aires provincial government led by the ultra-Kirchnerist Axel Kicillof.
In an interview on Neura, Sotelo revealed that Buenos Aires province has multi-million peso debts with hospitals under joint management with the national government, including Hospital Garrahan, while Kirchnerism raises slogans in defense of public health.
“The Instituto de Obra Médico Asistencial (the social security health insurance of Buenos Aires province, managed by Kicillof) owes 4 billion pesos (8.8 million pounds) to Garrahan,” Sotelo stated in remarks to Neura.
El Hospital Garrahan.
“Then they raise the flag of health,” the official said ironically, highlighting the inconsistency between the Kirchnerist narrative and the commitments made, and not fulfilled, with the health system.
Garrahan, a leading pediatric hospital at the national and regional level, has been experiencing a complex crisis for several years due to staff shortages, low salaries, and lack of supplies. Meanwhile, Javier Milei's government is seeking to solve the situation, and the debt held by the Buenos Aires provincial government further worsens the outlook.
However, Sotelo's criticism was not limited to Garrahan. He also targeted hospitals under joint management between the national and provincial governments. “Buenos Aires province has five hospitals under joint management with the national government: Cañuelas, two in La Matanza, one in Florencio Varela, and another in Esteban Echeverría. For these five hospitals, Kicillof's government owes 149 billion pesos (327.8 million pounds),” he stated.
Axel Kicillof, gobernador bonaerense.
The situation is especially relevant considering that all these hospitals are located in the third electoral section, a historic stronghold of Peronism. These are areas where the population most needs a strong and high-quality health system. The lack of payments from the Kirchnerist governor not only compromises the operational functioning of these centers, but also reflects a dangerous political prioritization.
Kirchnerism, which for decades governed both the national government and Buenos Aires province, thus leaves behind a deeply deteriorated health system. Despite its constant speeches in defense of the public sector, the data show inefficient management that has jeopardized medical care in some of the country's most vulnerable districts.
