Chile expands tele‑rehabilitation and local pediatric burn surgery to reduce patient travel

A telerehabilitation program linking the Hospital of Calama with the Community Hospital of Tocopilla completed its first six months successfully. Specialists in physiatrics, kinesiology, occupational therapy and speech pathology now co‑design therapy plans with local professionals, allowing patients—especially stroke victims and other high‑complexity cases—to receive assessments and follow‑up care via video instead of traveling long distances to Calama. The service, overseen by the Antofagasta Health Service, is set to extend to patients with neurological and circulatory disorders, aiming to keep treatment uninterrupted.

In Puerto Montt, a collaborative surgical operation enabled four children and adolescents with severe burn sequelae to be operated on locally. The initiative, organized by the Reloncaví Health Service, the hospital and the COANIQUEM network, avoided the need for inter‑regional transfers. Surgeons highlighted the emotional and economic benefits of keeping patients with their families while providing high‑complexity care and early rehabilitation, reinforcing a model that seeks to bring advanced pediatric surgery closer to communities in southern Chile.