translated from Spanish: Us$ 2 billion investment contemplated: Government presents Extraordinary Health Fund to strengthen Covid-19 hospital network

The President of the Republic, Sebastián Piñera, presented a fund of US$2,000 million to strengthen the Health Network in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and reduce waiting lists.
“It will allow us to buy more and better items for the protection of health personnel and all citizens. And it will also allow us to implement a program to take care of the rehabilitation of COVID patients who are left with sequelae,” the president said in a statement at the La Moneda Palace, accompanied by The Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, and the undersecretaries of Public Health, Paula Daza, and of Assistance Networks, Alberto Dougnac.
The Extraordinary Health Fund seeks to strengthen the fight against Covid-19, strengthening the strategy of Testing, Traceability and Isolation (TTA) of positive cases, along with a strengthening of the ISP for the early detection of new variants. Along with this, the operation of more than 4 thousand ICU will be maintained to supply the high demand of critical patients and the Network of Health Residences will be strengthened.
Although the country has already received 22.3 million vaccines against Covid-19 and contracts for 44 million have been signed for this year, the Fund is also considering new contracts to strengthen the vaccination program for 2021 and 2022.
“We already have in our country the vaccines needed to apply a third dose of vaccine if necessary to the entire target population. And, in addition, we are working intensively on new contracts that will allow us to secure the necessary vaccines to cover all the future needs of our compatriots,” the President explained.
In addition, for patients who have had severe acute respiratory infections due to Covid-19, a rehabilitation programme will be launched that considers kinesiologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and other specialties.
Through the HealthyLy program, mental health care capacity will be strengthened.
On the other hand, the Extraordinary Health Fund will strengthen the Digital Hospital for telemedicine in non-Covid specialties such as dermatology, diabetes, nephrology, geriatrics and oral pathology; and reduce waiting lists in GES and non-GES specialists and surgeries.
“This Health Fund is going to finance an extraordinary program of medical care to reduce waiting lists,” the head of state added.
“Despite all the problems and all the adversities, Chile is responding, and this is to the credit of all Chileans,” the president concluded.

Original source in Spanish