The bust of Néstor Kirchner was removed from the hospital in El Calafate.

A new decision by the nationalgovernment advances on one of the most symbolic legacies of Kirchnerism: its tendency to occupy public spaces with partisan images and tributes. In recent hours, the administration of the SAMIC Hospital in El Calafate, Santa Cruz,removed a bust of Néstor Kirchner from the entrance hall, donated in 2022 by Rudy Ulloa, former private secretary and personal friend of the former president.

The sculpture, created by artist Miguel Villalba, had been installed on October 27, 2022, coinciding with the 12th anniversary of the former president's death. However, in line with the spirit of institutional cleansing promoted by President Javier Milei, the representation of the founder of the Kirchnerist regime was removed by decision of the national representation in the Hospital's Board of Directors, a tripartite body composed of three national government members, two provincial, and one municipal.

The decision was proudly communicated by Jairo Henoch Guzmán, president of La Libertad Avanza in Santa Cruz and head of PAMI in the province. Through his social media, Guzmán declared: "A hospital paid with our taxes can't have a monument to the corruption that destroyed a country and left our province in ruins. Public buildings should not be used politically."

In statements to local media, Guzmán was even more forceful: "In public buildings, corrupt individuals, state looters, and leaders of illicit associations are no longer honored. That is over." The measure sparked outrage among figures linked to Kirchnerism. Rudy Ulloa, who donated the bust, reacted by appealing to a biblical phrase:

"The first thing that comes to mind is like when Jesus was on the cross: 'Forgive them, Lord, they don't know what they're doing.' I'll be clear: those who removed it don't know, but those who ordered it to be removed do know what they're doing," he expressed in dialogue with the media. Ulloa also compared the event to the removal of the monument to Osvaldo Bayer from the entrance to Río Gallegos, carried out by National Road Administration personnel.

From the medical community, there were also dissenting voices, such as the former executive director of the hospital, Javier Lerena, who opined that "Néstor made the existence of SAMIC possible. You can't erase history just like that." Lerena criticized the making of "arbitrary and authoritarian" decisions over the Board of Directors and expressed his support for Virna Almeida, head of the Epidemiology department, whom he described as the "bust's ambassador."

"We have to defend it," Lerena stated. Meanwhile, Almeida said in an interview with Río Gallegos radio: "We will fight for it to return to its rightful place. The hospital belongs to the community, and this was not a community decision." She also confirmed that she will request its reinstatement at the next Board of Directors session.