Budget Crisis at UBA Faculty of Medicine: Students and Teachers in Darkness – Call for Solidarity

2024-04-16 19:02:51

A few days after the National Interuniversity Council (CIN) declared the “economic emergency” in public universities due to the budget crisis, in the midst of the inflationary context and the strong increases in energy rates, the teachers and students of the Faculty of Medicine of the UBA go through the university cycle – with the risk of not making it past the month of May – in darkness. In addition, they call for a solidarity hug at the Hospital de Clínicas for this Thursday.

The house of higher education located at Paraguay 2155 was one of the first to abide by “the guidelines to face the budgetary emergency” established this Monday by the Treasury Secretariat of the UBA, and the teaching and student body, the first to suffer the consequences of adjustment. The main measures requested to save costs involve cutting electricity and gas supply in common areas.

https://twitter.com/jorgeluisaliaga/status/1780275632145867194

In the last few hours, on social networks, some videos of students from the Faculty of Medicine walking through hallways in complete darkness, or standing in long lines to take the only elevator enabled to go up the more than 15 floors of the building, went viral.

The Faculty of Medicine operates without electricity to face the Government’s high tariff.

“Given the million-dollar electricity bill that arrived and that cannot be paid, the Faculty of Medicine (UBA) decided to cut off the electricity supply to all common areas and limit the use of the elevators only to people with reduced mobility. The building has 16 floors,” said a user on the social network

According to the statement from the FMED authorities, they had to take a series of measures in order to “mitigate the inertial growth of spending, which would lead to the impossibility of being able to meet the commitments assumed by the University.”

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/pcnMRvYm-buQgiLVC

One of the decisions taken was to “non-use” the air conditioners. The only spaces with permission to do so are “university hospitals for patient care” and where conditioning is necessary “for the correct functioning of equipment and technological infrastructure.”

The “turning off of lighting in naturally illuminated classrooms and offices” and “in common circulation spaces during the daytime period” was also ordered.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/6HBZt7bY-buQgiLVC

As mentioned above, the elevators may be used only by “people with reduced mobility and in cases of assistance or emergency.”

In addition, a few months before the start of winter, the authorities established a cut in the building’s central heating. According to the statement, it was established “the non-use of gas services in the boilers in the University buildings, with the exception of the university hospitals for patient care and the necessary conditioning for the correct functioning of equipment and technological infrastructure.” “.

In response to the brutal adjustment of the Javier Milei government, the national universities called for a mobilization this coming April 23 from Congress to the Casa Rosada starting at 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, within the framework of the budgetary emergency, the Faculty of Medicine called this Tuesday to hold a “solidarity hug to the Hospital de Clínicas” for this Thursday, April 18 at 10.

“Due to the lack of updating in the budget allocated to national universities, not only the faculties are at risk, but also the university hospitals and the university’s social work are on the verge of closure,” they indicated, adding: “It is because That is why we call on the community to commit and adhere to this show of support for our educational and health system.

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