In the Francisco Muñiz Hospital there is a shortage of pediatricians, anesthesiologists, and equipment in the emergency care. In addition, there are missing beds in the Intensive Care Unit. These were some of the weaknesses detected by the Auditor General of the City of Buenos Aires (AGCBA, for its acronym in Spanish) in its report on the management of the health center.

Although the Muñiz treats patients with infectious diseases, the watchdog noted that because they lack applicants there is a "shortfall of doctors" and specialists in tuberculosis. In turn, there is a "deficit" of pediatricians and on Fridays there are no anesthesiologists, so "if there is a surgical emergency –on a Friday- that patient is transferred to SAME." It is important to remember that these observations were made on the ER, a place where cases need to be handled immediately.

Moreover, in the Department of Intensive Care for Infectious Critical Patients (DAIPIC, for its acronym in Spanish) they found that "there are two units closed on account of serious structural problems" and that "since there is a failure to correct the ICU, patients are hospitalized in other rooms.” To this they add that "the rooms with the lowest proportion of authorized beds belong to critical areas of the hospital, like DAIPIC" which in one of its units "has enabled only 25% of the area."

In Respiratory Pathophysiology, auditors reported, "that the equipment is obsolete, they have a spirometer from 1996 that does not work and another from 2004 which is not computerized."

Regarding the storage of pathogenic waste, it was found that had these waste bins "in many cases did not have a lid in patients’ in bathrooms, outdoor galleries, and other places of access." One of the weaknesses noted by the audit is related to Buenos Aires in Doctor’s consultation rooms were 25 specialties are treated in 16 different locations. This dispersion in the ambulatory care sector "means the staff becomes scarce." It also causes "every medical specialty to implement its own form of care and registration."

Regarding the medical records of patients, the AGCBA reported that not only "is there no single form" but "there isn’t a single computer network for data collection that would provide all sectors of the Hospital with the necessary information."

As for patients with HIV and tuberculosis, the watchdog said that "the strategies implemented by Muñiz, designed to increase adherence to treatment, are insufficient" which entails "the failure of the cure method, relapse, and drug resistance." In this situation, the audit said that "to extend the grip levels it requires an interdisciplinary approach and the creation of devices that facilitate referral care and comprehensive care." To achieve this, the watchdog states, "it means there should be a significant increase in joint actions with other areas of the City Government and the Province of Buenos Aires."

Maintenance and Cleaning

The AGCBA, in its report adopted in November 2011, revealed that "the hospital does not have mechanisms to control the activity of the cleaning company, making it impossible to verify the performance of the tasks set by contract." As a matter a fact, the person from the Ministry of Health, which conducts the evaluation "has no permanent presence in the hospital." As for the quality control of water stored in tanks, the report notes that in the audited year (2010)" the studies were made by the same concession," while "the Infection Control Committee of the hospital, that year, did not perform the necessary checks due to lack of staff and reagents."