January 10th in the morning, workers and patients, along with various organizations, held a rally in defense of the Center for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (CEMEFIR), located at Peru 2433, San Justo.
By Emilio González Larrea
lapaz50@yahoo.com.ar
How the Problem Began
It is important to recall that this health center is at risk of closure due to a lawsuit that could trigger the auction of the building to settle a debt of around 400 thousand dollars. This issue began more than 10 years ago due to irregular management by the institution’s Cooperative’s president at the time, Dr.
Diego Viola, who issued “floating checks” in the name of the Cooperative. These checks were later rejected by banks, creating the debt. One of the affected parties, Alberto José Crócamo, purchased the rejected checks and became the main creditor of the Cooperative. He has pursued legal action to enforce the mortgage on the building and collect the debt. The case is being handled by Dr. Laura Mato from the Civil and Commercial Court No. 1, which has initiated proceedings to carry out the execution and auction.
In 2021, Provincial Law 15318 was passed, declaring the expropriation of the property for public utility reasons and transferring it to the Municipality of La Matanza for the continued operation of CEMEFIR. The law set a 3-year deadline for the expropriation, which expires this February, but no actions have been taken yet. As a result, the institution is now in a countdown regarding the execution of the auction and closure.
Rally and March
Starting at 10 AM, hundreds of patients, workers from the institution, and supportive organizations from workers’ unions, retired people’s groups, and health professionals like the local CICOP, along with health workers from the Dr. Chino Oliveri Health Center in the María Elena neighborhood, political parties like FIT-Unidad, and the local councilor Olga Ortigoza, gathered in support.
After a rally that began with the national anthem and speeches from three patients, the assembly decided to march through the center of San Justo, walking along Av. Arieta and stopping at the Municipal Palace. They then continued their march in front of the Municipal Workers’ Union headquarters before returning to CEMEFIR to disperse.
They plan to continue with new actions.
Workers from CEMEFIR who spoke to our media were deeply moved by the response from the patients during the event and mentioned that they have the support of the institution’s director in their fight. They also expressed their frustration at not having received support from the Ministry of Health or Dr. Alejandro Collia in maintaining CEMEFIR’s operations. Despite rumors that Vice Governor Verónica Magario might decide to raise the money to pay for the expropriation and avoid the auction, the workers are skeptical given what has happened so far. They intend to continue raising awareness of the situation and are considering another assembly and march for this week.
Dark Clouds for Disability: Milei’s Deep Cuts
The closure of CEMEFIR would not only affect the current patients who come for treatment from various parts of La Matanza and even neighboring areas like Cañuelas, but it would also harm many potential patients, as disability in Argentina is more widespread than commonly acknowledged. Only those with a Disability Certificate are officially recognized, but not everyone has one, especially as bureaucratic hurdles for obtaining it have increased since Javier Milei took office.
According to the latest national census on disability, there are 1.5 million people with a Unique Disability Certificate (CUD). However, experts highlight that there is significant underreporting, or hidden disabilities. Moreover, the 2025 government budget under Milei’s administration includes plans to cancel 200,000 disability pensions, and the cuts could be even broader, as the Director of the National Disability Agency (ANDIS), Diego Spagnuolo, has said that “we are reviewing 600,000 cases.”
Given this context, it is clear that maintaining institutions like CEMEFIR is crucial for the country’s most vulnerable populations, especially considering that CEMEFIR is the only public and free center specializing in motor disabilities in our district.
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