Chilean Health Minister Tackles Cancer Patient Backlog, Eyes Systemic Reforms

Chilean Minister of Health May Chomali has announced the successful resolution of the oncological health alert, a priority she set upon assuming office four months ago. The ministry managed to address 99.9% of patients awaiting cancer treatment, a significant achievement that involved contacting 33,000 individuals. Of these, over 90% have now received their consultations, surgeries, or initiated therapy, with only 31 patients remaining uncontactable. This initiative aimed to resolve delayed Guaranteed Explicit Health (GES) services, which are legally mandated to be provided within specific timeframes. The minister emphasized that while the oncological backlog was the most urgent concern due to its immediate impact on patient survival, the ministry is also working on addressing over 80,000 other delayed GES guarantees. To manage the cancer patient backlog, approximately 10% were referred to private healthcare providers, a lower figure than initially estimated, indicating a strong response from public hospitals and a successful expansion of agreements with second-tier providers across most regions. Chomali highlighted that the primary issue within the healthcare system is not a lack of resources but rather inefficient management, which can stem from issues like inadequate accounting systems or internal processes. Looking ahead, the Ministry of Health plans to present a four-year investment plan, streamline an overly ambitious portfolio of over 1,360 projects, and introduce a program to improve primary care resoluteness, particularly focusing on cancer. A structural plan to address general waiting lists is also forthcoming, which will involve prioritizing patients within specific pathologies and clarifying the definition of a waiting list to ensure more accurate reporting and effective solutions.