Garrahan Hospital delegate denounced cuts and denied the government's claim: "There's a chainsaw."

The representative of Garrahan Hospital , Norma Lezana, accused the government of disseminating false data about the hospital's staff and denounced a policy of cuts that has already resulted in the departure of more than 200 professionals. In a televised statement, the doctor asserted that " there is a chainsaw " at Garrahan and questioned the statements of the Deputy Minister of Health, Cecilia Loccisano, who stated that there were more administrative staff than doctors.

Lezana, general secretary of the Association of Professionals and Technicians, denied the figures released by Loccisano on social media. "It's false and the government is lying," she stated, explaining that of the 900 workers identified as "bureaucrats," only 400 perform administrative tasks, such as billing and appointment management. She also defended the IT employees responsible for maintaining the hospital's digital medical records.

According to Lezana, the on-site medical staff consists of 491 professionals, plus fellows, residents, and medical authorities, bringing the total to over a thousand. He emphasized that, even with "limited staffing," the Garrahan Hospital handles some 600,000 consultations annually. "It's misleading to talk about an administrative/physician relationship. What's important is the doctor/patient relationship," he insisted.

The situation is worsening due to the salary dispute. The delegate warned that the hospital is facing a profound crisis due to the loss of young staff, who are leaving due to their financial inability to sustain themselves. "There are residents who work 60 hours a week and it's not enough to live on," she stated. She also emphasized that many of them are graduates with the highest grade point averages from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) .

Another point he denied was the alleged staff expansion during the previous administration. He asserted that the permanent staff at Garrahan Hospital has remained at 4,200 employees since 2017. "They're saying things that are false. There are real cuts," he asserted.

Regarding his own situation, Lezana said that, with 36 years of experience, he is about to retire with a salary of $2 million, considered one of the highest. However, he contrasted that the professionals who are leaving earn around $1,500,000, while a basic professional basket exceeds $1,700,000.

The doctor reported that since November, real wages have fallen 100% in the face of inflation. "I take my pay stub, update it, and I'm missing half," she said. She also pointed out that many bonuses are frozen and that there is no dedicated platform for negotiating increases, as increases are tied to the national collective bargaining agreement, which was barely 1%.

"The interdisciplinary teams are overwhelmed. They can't cope with providing care to patients in the time they need," Lezana concluded, as unrest grows at the country's largest pediatric hospital.