Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
Health in Chile - Statistics & Facts
During the COVID-19 pandemic Chile stood out globally for its exceptional vaccination campaign with one of the fastest immunization programs against the disease. The remarkable progress was the outcome of a conjoint effort between government and society, with a well-coordinated system and the willingness of the population to get immunized. As of 2021, the South American country was considered one of the Latin American countries with the highest Global Health Security (GHS) Index score, which measures the capacity of countries to deal with outbreaks. Within the index, Chile was best rated for its risk environment, which considers socio-economic, political, and environmental factors.
Though a great share of the population is insured, nearly a third of Chileans consider the quality of healthcare in the country as poor. According to a survey carried out in the South American country, eight in ten people thought many cannot afford good healthcare. In addition, more than seven in ten people acknowledged that waiting times to get an appointment with doctors are too long, while just over two in ten regarded the system as providing the same standard of care to everyone. As a result, a restructure of the healthcare system has been discussed in the context of the drafting of a new constitution resulting from a referendum that took place at the end of 2020. Two constitutional drafts were presented on referendums carried out in 2022 and 2023, however, neither of the proposals were approved.
The Chilean healthcare system
Behind the country’s coping capacity is, among other factors, the Chilean healthcare system. The Chilean healthcare system is contributive and consists of two main insurance schemes. The National Health Fund (Fondo Nacional de Salud) known as FONASA and Private Health Insurance Institutions (Instituciones de Salud Previsional) known as ISAPRES. FONASA consists of a health plan where services are provided by the government, and covers workers, dependent family members, and people without an income source, among other beneficiaries. The program is divided in four main groups which determine the kind of services received by each population and that depend on characteristics such as income and working status. A share of beneficiaries can choose between two different modalities, one of which gives people the possibility to make use of private services when fulfilling certain criteria. On the other hand, ISAPRES are private healthcare insurers that provide beneficiaries with health services under three different modalities based on the kind of clinics and doctors covered.Though a great share of the population is insured, nearly a third of Chileans consider the quality of healthcare in the country as poor. According to a survey carried out in the South American country, eight in ten people thought many cannot afford good healthcare. In addition, more than seven in ten people acknowledged that waiting times to get an appointment with doctors are too long, while just over two in ten regarded the system as providing the same standard of care to everyone. As a result, a restructure of the healthcare system has been discussed in the context of the drafting of a new constitution resulting from a referendum that took place at the end of 2020. Two constitutional drafts were presented on referendums carried out in 2022 and 2023, however, neither of the proposals were approved.
More than investments in capacity
Beyond a functioning health care system and other social and economic policies, health is dependent on a variety of risk factors resulting from an interconnection of environmental and personal characteristics and habits. Among other determinants, smoking and being overweight, along with food insecurity, are known to negatively affect health outcomes. In Chile, while the prevalence of smoking has decreased in recent years, the share of the country’s overweight population has constantly risen, and is forecast to further increase, reaching over 70 percent of the population by 2029. On the other hand, food insecurity in Chile currently stands at around 22 percent. As a result, better health outcomes will depend not only on the constitution of an improved healthcare system, but also on investments aimed at structural changes and at developing a preventive culture working alongside the population, as was the case during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
