The hospital crisis worsens. The non-renewal of contracts forces the closure of services and leads doctors and officials to comply with strikes, harming patient care in hospitals.
This Tuesday, in the midst of a workers’ strike, the Villa Primero de Mayo municipal hospital was forced to close the neonatology service because they ran out of neonatologists, since the contracts were not renewed for the three specialists who cared for this area. As a result, eight incubators are out of operation, while the two premature babies who remain in the hospital are being cared for by pediatricians. Pregnant women at risk of premature birth will be referred to the Percy Boland maternity hospital. Furthermore, these days they were forced to suspend cultures in the laboratory, but the service was restored with equipment provided by the Plan Tres Mil hospital.
Dr. María del Carmen Camacho, representative of the Public Health Medical Branches Union (Sirmes) of this hospital, reported that ten professionals are missing, including neonatologists. “We are not asking for new contracts, but rather the replacement of those we already had. Even with these replacements it will be half covered, because more personnel are needed to expand the internal medicine service,” he explained.
In this regard, the municipal Secretary of Health, Marcelo Téllez, stated that the problem is due to the voluntary resignation of the three neonatologists and pointed out “that this specialty is difficult to find” due to the shortage of professionals, but that steps are being taken. for hiring.
For his part, Oliver Arancibia, from the Sirmes of the San Juan de Dios hospital, reported that 40 percent of the emergency room is out of operation, as well as two rooms in the surgery service. “The services have not been completely closed, but they have been reduced due to lack of personnel,” he said, stating that the situation will worsen, because the 304 professionals who have items from the Government have not received their December salary and about 80 have not. They have moved up a category.
In addition, 60 contracts were not renewed, which affected services. “That was the reason for the closure, because they are nurses and doctors. We had asked for at least 44, but they didn’t hire any,” he said.
Arancibia announced that the Departmental Health Council (Codesa) will meet on Thursday, where they will make other determinations.
These hospitals are joined by others such as Mario Ortiz, where staff double shifts to guarantee care in the infectious disease service and six hospitalization beds have been closed; and the Percy Boland maternity hospital, which has closed neonatal intensive care and patients were referred to other overcrowded wards.
According to the Federation of Unions of Medical Branches of Public Health (Fesirmes), the problem of lack of personnel worsened because the Mayor’s Office did not renew 40 contracts, while the Government left 220 contracts for doctors and healthcare professionals unsigned. health.
This situation led this Monday to doctors and professionals affiliated with Fesirmes to complete a 24-hour strike at the three levels of care. Activities remain suspended until this Wednesday due to a 48-hour strike called by the leadership of health workers, which also demands the payment of salaries and the rehiring of personnel.
In the workers’ list of health, three requests are included: payment of the salary for the month of December to personnel dependent on the Government and the Mayor’s Office, both for those who have items and those with contracts.
Another request is the return of funds to the Blood Bank and that agreements be signed with the National Health Fund (CNS) in the provinces.
In addition, Fesirmes threatens another strike for next week if the demands are not met.
The authorities
Mayor Jhonny Fernández assured that 5,200 contracts for health centers and second-level hospitals have already been renewed, and stated that there is no budget for more hiring.
“There is no more money, gentlemen. What they want is more trouble, but it is not possible,” said Fernández.
For his part, the Secretary of Health and Human Development of the Government, Marcelo Kramer, indicated that the staff is actually protesting the lack of payment of salaries, which affects the entire Government due to the crisis.
However, he also acknowledged that there were administrative problems with the contracts, but guaranteed that in the coming days 200 will be signed for tertiary hospitals.
He ruled out the closure of services because the same staff carried out “reengineering” to guarantee care.
“We have a system that has not yet closed and it will be done in these days to be able to open the 2025 management and start the contracts,” he indicated.
Likewise, the director of the Headquarters, Jaime Bilbao, reported that the Ministry of Health provided 30 items for specialist doctors that will be distributed in the maternity hospital and in the San Juan de Dios, Japonés, Oncológico and Mario Ortiz hospitals.
Assembly member Kathia Quiroga carried out an inspection of the hospitals, where she found problems with infrastructure, equipment and personnel. “We are not going to get tired of demanding that the Government address the need for personnel and stop placing this responsibility on the governorates and municipalities.”
According to Quiroga, since 2022 royalty income has decreased. “This has led to the inability to pay salaries and the risk of closure of services,” he said.
