Hospital Posadas

Amidst the bustling energy of Buenos Aires, stands a beacon of healthcare, the Hospital Posadas. This isn’t just any hospital. It’s a sprawling 22-hectare complex in El Palomar, Morón. The Hospital Posadas resembles a small city with its 72,000 square meters of covered area. It boasts seven floors, four pavilions, and sectors and blocks labeled A through H. The Hospital Posadas is more than just bricks and mortar. It embodies the spirit of Argentina’s national public health system. Born during Perón’s second term, the Hospital Nacional Profesor Alejandro Posadas has served patients for over 50 years. Its reach extends to six million people, primarily in the vast western expanse of Greater Buenos Aires. Annually, the Hospital Posadas attends to over 800,000 patients. From afar, against the backdrop of the surrounding verdant park, the Hospital Posadas appears like a slumbering giant. Up close, a vibrant scene unfolds. A constant flurry of activity, the urgency of medical professionals hurrying to and fro, reveals the hospital’s true nature. Yet, this giant bears wounds from battling the right-wing government’s severe austerity measures under Javier Milei. The hospital has witnessed 104 dismissals, precarious quarterly contracts, and meager wages. This echoes a dark past, reminiscent of the last dictatorship, the Menem era, and the Macri administration, which even militarized the hospital to enforce its austerity measures. Inside, the Hospital Posadas functions as a complex organism. It has four main departments: General Medicine, Surgery, Diagnostic and Imaging, and Maternal-Children. The Maternal-Children department further encompasses Obstetrics, Neonatology-Pediatrics, Diagnostic Ultrasound, and Epidemiology and Evidence-based Medicine. Within the delivery room alone, there are six labor rooms, two delivery rooms, and two surgical rooms. Established in 1997, the Epidemiology and Evidence-based Medicine committee has conducted numerous courses, both within the Hospital Posadas and across the country. Their teachings have reached neighboring countries like Brazil and Paraguay. They employ the McMaster model of the University of Canada, focusing on research methodology, biostatistics, literature search, critical interpretation of journal articles, and practical application of findings to patient care. The Hospital Posadas even houses a unique feature: a pediatric digestive and respiratory endoscopy emergency room, a service not even offered by the renowned Garrahan Hospital. This makes the Hospital Posadas an essential destination for children who have swallowed dangerous objects, regardless of their insurance status.