The National Hospital specialized in Mental Health and Addictions "Lic. Laura Bonaparte" in Parque Patricios has announced the reorganization of its services due to low occupancy. Despite having an annual budget of $17 billion, it averages only 19 hospitalized patients per day, which has led to the referral of patients to other institutions to optimize resources and ensure the continuity of treatments.
However, this decision has generated condemnation from the hospital employees, who denounce a possible dismantling of the health center. They believe that closing key areas such as the emergency room and the hospitalization service could jeopardize the care of hundreds of people who depend on the hospital. "They are taking away our resources and referring patients when they need more attention," expressed one of the workers.
This restructuring has coincided with the hiring of a catering service for $3,242,000 for the "11th Mental Health Conference" to be held in October 2024. The Ministry of Health of the Nation, led by Mario Lugones, has justified this measure by arguing that the hospital operates below its capacity.
The contract for the catering service was awarded to the company Sergio Alejandro Duran SRL, while other offers, such as Señal de Ajuste SRL, were dismissed for having debts with the AFIP. Workers have expressed their concern about the lack of transparency in the management of funds allocated for mental health, especially when seeing how millions are allocated to services like catering while fundamental areas of the hospital are closed.
