Also in Argentina, workers at Garrahan Hospital continue their struggle against President Javier Milei’s policies, including his vetoes of laws aimed at reducing funding for education and public health. Our colleague Fabián Restivo provides the details. teleSUR
00:00Also in Argentina, the workers at Garaghan Hospital continue their struggle against the policies of President Javier Millet's vetoes of laws that aim to defund education and public health.
00:10Our colleague Fabian Restivo with the details.
00:13The physicians at Garaghan Hospital continue their struggle.
00:17Once again, President Javier Millet has vetoed their budget and they must continue the fight.
00:22But the professionals, together with patients and family members, have decided on another form of resistance, a party.
00:30We are celebrating that the hospital is still standing, and that all the people who organize this festival, are workers who are dedicated to healthcare, and today we want to celebrate ourselves.
00:43The space was designed for children. To share and continue explaining and entertaining.
00:50Because I support Garaghan with all my heart. It touches me very closely.
00:55My niece was hospitalized there, and they saved her life.
00:57I went several times to perform at Garaghan at the kindergarten.
01:02I believe we have to support them with what we have with our tools.
01:06In my case as a clone.
01:08Those who can do something else, and so together we put our hearts into this, because what is happening is truly terrible.
01:15The question that needs to be asked is basic and urgent, what they expect from Wednesday's march.
01:20We expect a massive mobilization.
01:25We believe that there will be a huge response from society because they support the demand we are making, and this time.
01:33We are also joining forces with the public university, which is another sector affected by the president policies, so we believe it will be a historic day.
01:41Where it will be demonstrated that the vetoed party is the government, not Garaghan, not the university, and not public health.
01:50Among those present, there are some who have other reasons of their own.
01:53I am here primarily because Garaghan was everything to me.
02:02My son was ill and hospitalized in 1994.
02:07We transferred him from a private clinic to Garaghan.
02:09He was born in the capital, but due to medical malpractice, he ended up at Garaghan, thank God.
02:19At Garaghan, they did everything possible, and impossible to save him.
02:25He was in intensive care for seven months.
02:27He had a strong will to live.
02:28They didn't move him from the neonatal unit to pediatrics, and for the doctors it was encouraging to have someone who wanted to live beyond his diagnosis, which was terrible.
02:41I think that's something strong enough to always be present for everyone.
02:47So, what are the Garaghan professionals asking for?
02:50What do the Garaghan professionals want?
02:52We want to continue celebrating public health, continue celebrating our profession.
02:59We enjoy being involved in our work, being in the hospital, with the children we work with.
03:04I don't know if it's something we enjoy, being out on the streets fighting, but it makes us very proud.
03:09I mean, one thing doesn't contradict the other.
03:15And to better understand the current situation,
03:18let's look at more details in the context of the protests taking place in Argentina
03:22against the veto of laws of President Javier Malay.
03:27The Argentine health care system is mixed, decentralized, and universal,
03:32comprising the public system, social security, and private health care.
03:36The public system functions as the cornerstone of care for vulnerable sectors,
03:41and has more than 1,500 hospitals, and 8,000 primary care centers.
03:45The Ministry of Health coordinates at the national level,
03:49while the 24 provincial jurisdictions are responsible for local management.
03:55Since Javier Malay took office in 2023, fiscal adjustment policies have been implemented,
04:01including budget cuts and vetoes on key public health legislation.
04:05For example, the veto of the Pediatric Health Emergency Law,
04:09approved by a majority in Congress,
04:11has halted essential budget increases for the Garahan Hospital,
04:15and other children's hospitals.
04:17This has resulted in a real decrease of 54% in the Garahan budget in 2025,
04:22affecting the quality and capacity of care.
04:25The hospital has faced layoffs, resignations,
04:28wedge delays, and precarious working conditions,
04:31especially for medical residents,
04:33whose training has also been affected by resolution 2109 of 2025,
04:38which makes their working conditions precarious.
04:41These policies have led to protests and massive strikes by workers and professionals at Garahan,
04:47as well as social mobilizations demanding the repeal of the vetoes,
04:50and greater investment in public health.
04:52These measures have a serious social impact,
04:58restrictions on access to treatment,
05:00reduction in preventive campaigns,
05:02and the suspension of essential public health programs.
05:05Vulnerable populations, who depend on the public system,
05:09face a deterioration in health care quality,
05:11and an increase in health risks, especially children.
05:15Recent protests at the Garahan Hospital,
05:17not only defend the continuity of pediatric health services,
05:21but also denounce a political model that prioritizes economic adjustment over the right to health.
05:26The crisis highlights the tension between neoliberal policies and social rights in Argentina,
05:31with a critical public health care system in danger under the current government.
05:35The current crisis, precipitated by President Millet's vetoes and cuts,
05:42and strongly manifested at the Garahan Hospital,
05:45reveals how fiscal adjustment decisions affect staff working conditions,
05:49and access to essential health services,
05:52putting universal rights and social inclusion in health at risk.
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