Last Monday, since 5 PM, various social organizations, unions, retirees, patients, health professionals, and community members gathered to show their support for the Laura Bonaparte Hospital, which the previous week suffered more than 200 layoffs.
All this occurred after an attempted closure of the hospital in October 2024 and amid a series of layoffs in the Public Health System, which has reached over 1,400 layoffs. The Laura Bonaparte Hospital was one of the most affected, with the loss of more than 200 professionals.
"On Wednesday, January 15, around 8 PM, notifications of layoffs began to arrive for about 200 workers via GDE (Electronic Document Management)," says Julieta Chevallier, a social worker at the hospital.
For many, these layoffs represent a considerable deterioration in the quality of life of those who rely on the Public Health system and even a risk to their health. An affected patient mentioned that, after being diagnosed, the professionals who attended to him received layoff notifications and ceased their services from that same day.
These layoffs have impacted 40% of the healthcare workforce, affecting various disciplines that make up the hospital's mental health teams. The situation has generated concern in the community, especially among PAMI patients who are treated in public hospitals.
Support for the laid-off workers was expressed through a massive hug to the Laura Bonaparte Hospital. Meanwhile, costs to care for the mental health of some patients have increased significantly, leading to a shift from the private health system to the public one, which is in crisis.
Workers valued the community's gesture of solidarity, which has given them encouragement to continue the fight. However, uncertainty persists, as many workers have received monthly contracts instead of quarterly ones. The importance of maintaining public health in the health system was one of the main slogans during the mobilization.
