Chilean President Sébastian Piñera announced on Sunday (January 5th) a bill to reform the health system in response to the social protest that has shaken the country for almost three months.
This reform of the National Health Fund (FONASA), with the aim of progressing towards a "Universal health plan", take into account that "People asked us", he said.
The plan is to benefit the 14.5 million Chileans who attend the public health sector and the more than three million patients in the private sector. In particular, it plans to "Lower the price of drugs" and to extend the authorizations given to private clinics to treat users in the public sector.
State participation in the purchase of medicines will also be increased, the president said, dangling "A drop of up to 60% in the price" treatments for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
A “social agenda”
Chile is one of the countries in the region where drugs are the most expensive and the health system is one of the main concerns of Chileans who have been demonstrating since October against social inequalities.
Parliament must examine this reform project at the same time as a series of measures which are part of a "Social agenda" by which the government seeks to respond to the challenge.
In early December, the executive put $ 5.5 billion on the table to try to resolve the social crisis and restart the collapsed economic activity. He also promised to pay an exceptional bonus to 1.3 million families.
The protest began on October 18, with student demonstrations against an increase in the price of the metro ticket, which then turned into a revolt of scale, the most serious since the end of the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).
Chileans have repeatedly protested the inequalities that prevail in a country with a prosperous economy and where the state is said to be failing in education, health and pensions. These protests have so far killed 29 people.
