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Original article: “Insólito, impresentable y contradictorio”: lluvia de críticas por alza del 20% de los sueldos a seremis de Salud en medio de recortes

Outcry Over 20% Salary Hike for Health Regional Secretaries: Unions Claim Contradiction Amid Budget Cuts

A significant controversy emerged in the health sector following the announcement that the Remuneration Setting Commission approved a salary increase of up to 20% for the regional secretaries of health (seremis) throughout the country. This decision has been described as «absurd» and «contradictory» by various unions and lawmakers amid budget cuts affecting the healthcare network, as reported by several regional media outlets.

For instance, data from Active Transparency shows that in the Coquimbo Region, the gross salary of a health seremi rose from $4,685,041 in April 2026 to $5,504,781 in May, reflecting a monthly increase of $819,740.

This pay increase was authorized through Exempt Resolution N°5 dated May 29, following a formal request from the Ministry of Health.

The president of Fenats Nacional, Emerson Berríos, harshly criticized the decision in statements to Radio Biobío: «While hospitals are pressured to cut spending, limit staffing, and tighten supplies purchasing, the Ministry seeks the maximum increase for its regional authorities. This is an unacceptable political signal,» he asserted, adding that «austerity is being imposed on workers, facilities, and patients, but not on government loyalists.»

In the Aysén Region, the regional president of Fenpruss, Anahí Freire, voiced her concerns to El Divisadero: «It is contradictory that while austerity is demanded from the public network and resources are limited to meet the needs of an extensive, isolated region with significant access gaps, salary increases for political appointees are prioritized,» she stated.

The outgoing president of the Aysén Health Seremi Employees Association (Afasai), Juan Pablo Gálvez, expressed his surprise: «We were taken aback by this 20% salary increase for all health seremis across the country; we find it deeply concerning and do not understand why it is happening.» Gálvez noted that «this increase is only for political appointees; it is not for everyone,» recalling that a hike had already been implemented in January.

Senator Ximena Órdenes also criticized the measure in statements to El Divisadero: «What we point out is the lack of coherence while all ministries, particularly the Ministry of Health, are asked to significantly reduce their operations by 417 billion pesos for functionality and health services,» she indicated. The parliamentarian termed the increase as «absurd» because the budget cuts will directly impact health services.

The regional secretary of Fenats IV Region, Isolda Díaz Martínez, stated to El Día that the resolution is «disconnected from the reality» that hospitals face. «Is this the priority that public health needs today? The answer is no. Not when thousands wait months or years for care, when specialists are lacking, hospitals function at their limits, and workers sustain the system under constant overload,» she claimed. The Ministry of Health argued that the increase aims to offset the removal of quarterly bonuses and critical function allocations that were in effect until March of this year.

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