The heroes of Garrahan Hospital

2025 was one of the most conflictive years in the history of the Garrahan Hospital. Union pressure escalated like never before, with more than 40 measures of force implemented with a single objective: to maintain their privileges and destabilize the management of President Javier Milei. Despite this, the hospital continued its activities thanks to thousands of professionals who kept caring for the children, and who are featured in the recently published documentary. They, who truly care for the institution, are the real heroes of this story.

During the election year, what began as a genuine salary demand escalated into an unprecedented conflict. Partial strikes, strikes of 24, 48, and 72 hours, symbolic hugs, “noise protests,” festivals at the hospital entrance, mobilizations, permanent assemblies, and protest festivals. Even on October 31 of that year, an extremely serious episode occurred, which was the takeover of the hospital's management office. There were talks of depletion, crisis, and even a pediatric emergency law was promoted for an emergency that never existed.

The union violence, backed by political parties and media, did not achieve its objective. The hospital continued to function thanks to the commitment of a large part of the staff. As a result, a phase of internal cultural change was initiated: anyone who jeopardizes the functioning of the hospital and, consequently, the health of our patients, will receive the corresponding sanction.

The decision on what to do in the hospital was clear from the beginning: to have a management based on order and transparency where resources are used efficiently to benefit the youngest and the health staff. Following the path set by the President of the Nation and carried out by Minister Mario Lugones, it was demonstrated that the money was in the hospital. The achieved balance allowed for predictability in planning, maintaining growth, and directing resources to where they have the greatest impact on the quality of care. Moreover, this order in finances allowed for a historic salary adjustment, with an increase of 88%.

In parallel, the largest construction plan in the history of the hospital was launched. We replaced beds that had been in use for nearly 40 years, incorporated state-of-the-art equipment, such as a unique linear accelerator in the region and a high-precision surgical microscope, and recovered key infrastructure, such as the hospital's helipad, which had been out of service since 2021.

Work also began on the bone marrow transplant area and new rooms for residents, among other significant changes initiated. All these actions respond to the same logic of investing in what is essential, namely, the health of the children and the well-being of the staff. At the request of President Milei, the mission is clear: for Garrahan Hospital to be the best hospital in Latin America.

The Garrahan case exposed the modus operandi of those who seek to instill chaos. With the last elections looming, the campaign was this time moved to the pediatric center. The hospital was used as a stage for a political dispute that had little to do with the daily reality of those who work and receive care there.

This is precisely what the documentary shows, what happened behind closed doors. Not from the press releases or slogans, but from the experience of those who sustain and support the hospital every day. The wide gap between discourse and reality was fully exposed. “The Heroes of Garrahan” reconstructs this period through archival footage and key testimonies. It also records all those moments where the medical demand was sought to be used for a purely political objective.

Unfortunately, the union pressure disguised as a defender of noble causes still exists. Media complicity does too. Nevertheless, thanks to the support of the President of the Nation and the Minister of Health, Garrahan does not change its course, continues to modernize, and grows like never before.