El Ciudadano
Original article: La jugada política del Gobierno contra Jeannette Vega terminó en crisis hospitalaria y 22 renuncias de especialistas
A political maneuver by José Kast’s government has sparked a public health crisis and a wave of resignations in the Valparaíso Region. The director of Claudio Vicuña Hospital in San Antonio, Loreto Maturana, was removed from her position after appointing Jeannette Vega as the medical deputy director, who previously served as Minister of Social Development during former President Gabriel Boric’s administration.
Maturana had been in charge of the hospital since February 2024, but following a period of 72 hours after appointing Vega on April 20, officials from the Valparaíso-San Antonio Health Service requested her non-voluntary resignation.
In an interview with La Tercera, the former director defended her choice, asserting it was a strictly technical decision, made amid a shortage of experienced healthcare management professionals.
“I called Dr. Vega, not a former minister. I knew Dr. Vega was a local resident of Santo Domingo. Her experience warranted the position,” she explained.
She questioned the reasons for her dismissal and indicated that she is considering legal action, as she believes no objective justification existed for this decision.
“I am a technician, not a politician. I do not belong to any political party, and I was hired at this hospital to improve management. My decisions are based on that,” she maintained.
22 Specialist Resignations
The situation further complicated life for La Moneda after 22 out of 220 doctors at the hospital, including specialists unique in their fields, resigned in protest against the request for Maturana’s resignation, arguing that “the reasons were not technical but rather politically motivated.”
“We respect the technical reasons the director Maturana had for appointing Dr. Vega as deputy director of healthcare management. Our objective is to save lives; there are no other interests,” the professionals stated in a letter, with Diario U. de Chile reporting that initial resignations began rolling in on Monday, affecting leadership positions in critical units.
From the Medical College, national vice president Mauricio Osorio warned that “any resignation of specialist doctors in network establishments, particularly hospitals like San Antonio, will clearly diminish patient care, especially if these specialists are unique.”
He highlighted that “the positions of medical deputy director are probably the most technical among all leadership roles in the health sector today.”
“It is the core of healthcare and clinical management, and these roles are far from being political trust positions,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, the president of the National Confederation of Health Workers (FENATS), Emerson Berríos, expressed that the conflict exacerbates an already strained hospital system and launched a harsh criticism against Kast and his cabinet.
“It seems that today the government is once again demonstrating that its healthcare proposals do not favor the population, but rather private health insurers, medical societies, and those profiting from health care. What we see is that the President wants to place his allies in key positions,” he remarked, as reported by Diario U. de Chile.
“The resignation of over 20 specialists will directly impact patient care (…) and waiting lists will only grow,” he warned.
Jeannette Vega Confirmed in Position Amid Hospital Crisis
Alongside the healthcare crisis, a leadership issue has emerged: following Maturana’s dismissal, clinical leaders called to assume her duties refused to do so, temporarily leaving the hospital without direction. Subsequently, the Health Service appointed Christian Smith as interim director.
Despite the government’s attempt to remove Jeannette Vega, the Valparaíso-San Antonio Health Service reaffirmed her position on Monday afternoon as the Deputy Director of Healthcare Management, in a bid to stabilize operations.
The agency noted that the resignations of over 20 doctors are being addressed according to established procedures.
La entrada Political Maneuver by Government Leads to Health Crisis and 22 Specialist Resignations se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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