Chilean Health Workers Strike to Reject Primary Care Crisis
Chilean health workers protest, March 12, 2025. X/ @nicomedinapa
March 13, 2025 Hour: 9:12 am
The Boric administration has turned its back on the people due to its erratic actions, CONFUSAM said.
From Tuesday to Thursday, the National Confederation of Municipal Health Workers (CONFUSAM) is carrying out a nationwide strike to highlight the problems in Chile’s healthcare system and to protest the deterioration of working conditions.
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The strike will include health centers in both urban and rural areas, although some facilities will maintain “ethical shifts,” according to the Municipal Health Workers Association (AFUSAM).
CONFUSAM leaders are demanding that President Gabriel Boric allocate a budget for salary payments and the acquisition of medical supplies, as there continue to be delays in the transfer of funds from the national government.
They also denounced the lack of adequate IT systems and connectivity issues, which affect patient care and the distribution of medications, a problem caused by the absence of proper technological infrastructure for management.
On Wednesday, health workers marched to La Moneda Palace, the seat of the Executive Branch, where they delivered a public statement. To symbolize the critical state of the primary healthcare system, they painted their faces to simulate wounds, also serving as a reminder that healthcare personnel are frequently subjected to physical assaults.
CONFUSAM leader Carolina Espinosa denounced that Parliament has cut the healthcare budget. She also emphasized that the Boric administration has turned its back on the Chilean people due to its erratic actions and inability to implement an adequate healthcare program.
Healthcare workers are also demanding police protection at medical facilities located in high-risk communities, where criminal gangs have carried out executions and other violent acts. Additionally, the lack of resources causes frustration among patients due to service failures, which in turn leads to mistreatment of administrative and healthcare staff.
Another march is expected this Thursday in downtown Santiago to continue raising public awareness, as mainstream media outlets have not covered any of the health workers’ protest activities.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: ADN
