A report by the General Auditor of the City of Buenos Aires (AGCBA, for its acronym in Spanish) said that in the pathology unit of the Zubizarreta Hospital there is poor segregation of contaminants services, while the administrative staff in the emergency department and a medical advisor. There aren’t any emergency exits in many units and there is only one bathroom for people with disabilities.

The City Audit did extensive work on the state of the health center and one of the comments repeated in most units was the lack of emergency exits, necessary because they are the quickest route outside. They are not implemented in ophthalmology, or kinesiology, or hemotherapy. Pathology, Department of Dentistry, laboratory, pharmacy, and surgery unit do not have this means of rapid evacuation, while in pediatrics, the doors open inwards.

It also analyzed the state of isolation rooms, "very necessary, especially in cases of diseases that are transmitted by air and require treatments that may not be ambulatory, as in cases of tuberculosis." In this sense, the AGCBA noted that neither pediatrics nor the medical division, or hospitalization have that space. Oncology, in the meantime, "has no physical location and shares the space with patients with infectious diseases."

The report, published this year, said that in the ER, located on the ground floor, "has the only proper bathroom in the entire hospital for people with disabilities."

In the pediatric nursing room "there isn’t a differentiation between clean and dirty areas." The first sector "is the place where you prepare or perform patient care procedures, to store the sterile and clean materials," while the latter "is where the washing of contaminated materials are carried out", therefore, for obvious reasons, both spaces "should be physically separated and marked by visible signs." The same observation was repeated for the operating room, with the aggravating circumstance that "the staff and the patients enter the dressing room through clean areas."

The City watchdog identified several areas of Zubizarreta with equipment flaws. For example, in the division of surgery and in otolaryngology and dermatology "the equipments don’t receive maintenance," the same issue arises in the kitchen area. Meanwhile, in cardiology "the pressure monitor does not work", this is used to measure and store data on blood pressure and heart rate, and "there is no alternative equipment" that can replace the original apparatus. 

During the fieldwork in 2011, the AGCBA noted that in the pathology unit there is "poor waste separation, which may have an impact on human health from exposure of contaminating materials, pathogens or disease vectors that originated during that administration.” The agency also expressed that "the density of the bags used is not adequate to the standards."

In the division of power "there are no food controls on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays" and "during the week they are not performed during the afternoon or dinner time", which means that "the temperature, manipulation, and hygiene is not verified" on meals served on those days and times. Furthermore, "the equipment is obsolete and counter tops are not made of stainless steel."

In the pathology unit "there is a lack of ventilation even though there is a great amount of gas." In these services, the report says, "Is a widely used formalin solution and involves the emission of a pollutant that directly affects the atmosphere of the operator." For AGCBA, in this area "they are missing information and advice from the Ministry of Health regarding the fumes."

Meanwhile, in the emergency department "there is a shortfall of administrative staff in attention and patient care units" and "a medical advisor that refers the people entering the hospital." The ambulance entrance was described by the Audit as "scarce."

Fire extinguishers "are fire prevention items, therefore they should never be missing or be in poor conditions." However, the AGCBA stated that there is a shortage of them in the kinesiology, hemotherapy, and outpatient clinic. On this last unit they also added that "It is built with a lightweight stationery system, on regular maintenance conditions." A mental health ward lacks ventilation and the public area toilets have a "regular maintenance status".

The pharmacy has "poor building structure" in regard to bathrooms, lighting, and lack of space, among other issues. In the psychopathological unit "psychopharmacological resources are provided without regularity and variety by the Hospital and the Department of Mental Health."

The Auditors of the City indicated that the Zubizarreta hospital "should bill and collect all benefits to people who have done Health Care", but the reality is that in practice it "is difficult" because "often the same staff does not care whether or not the patient has coverage, so the ability to check such practices is lost. "

On the maintenance of the health center located in the neighborhood of Devoto, the Audit stated that "it cannot be performed because of weaknesses in the procurement specifications." It’s that the service is outsourced to the SEHOS company, but the contract "has expired" (corresponding to the19'70s) therefore, it has been working so "is working on extensions."