Kicillof could have paid his debt to Garrahan with just 20% of what he spent on official advertising.

Ultra-Kirchnerist governor Axel Kicillof could have settled the debt that the province of Buenos Aires owes to the Garrahan Children's Hospital using just 20% of what he squandered on official advertising between January and June 2025.

According to official figures, Kicillof's debt to Garrahan amounts to $5,709,019,984, and corresponds to outstanding payments through the provincial health insurance IOMA. Meanwhile, the province spent nearly $28,000 million on official advertising and communication in the first half of the year. That amount is practically five times what is owed to the country's most important pediatric hospital.

The comparison highlights a major contradiction in Kicillof's administration. While thousands of children depend on Garrahan's care, the Kirchnerist administration prioritized allocating millions in resources to a politically aligned communication apparatus.

According to data from the Buenos Aires Ministry of Public Communication, published by the outlet El Disenso, between January and June 2025, official advertising was distributed among 638 media outlets and 357 suppliers. Many of those beneficiaries belong to Kirchnerism-linked conglomerates or related media structures.

Spending on official advertising in Buenos Aires province not only grew at an accelerated pace, but also became a central tool in Kicillof's political strategy during the electoral campaign. The objective is to guarantee media presence and political shielding amid a severe security crisis in Buenos Aires territory, in addition to disastrous local management in health and education.

Garrahan Hospital, a benchmark in pediatric healthcare in Argentina, treats thousands of children from across the country, many coming from Buenos Aires province. The delay in IOMA payments affects the hospital's ability to acquire essential supplies and maintain critical treatments.

Milei Government's investment

By contrast, at the beginning of the month, the Milei Government presented images showing the deplorable condition in which Garrahan Hospital was found at the time of taking office. Consequently, it announced an investment of nearly 30,000 million pesos aimed at new equipment and expansion works, made possible by the new administration's efficient use of resources.

During a press conference, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni explained that these funds will be used to acquire a pediatric linear accelerator, the only one of its kind in Latin America, which will allow children with cancer to be treated more precisely and less invasively. There will also be investment in expanding the bone marrow transplant area, with the goal of enabling patients to receive complex treatments without having to travel abroad.

The investment will also include reopening four operating rooms, which will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology; the purchase of an ambulance; the renovation of 400 stretchers and wheelchairs, many with more than 30 years of use; as well as the acquisition of renal and hepatic perfusion machines and new equipment for sterilization, imaging diagnostics, pharmacy, and laboratory.