Chilean Health Minister addresses mental health crisis and new facility in Puerto Montt

Chilean Health Minister May Chomali has addressed critical overcrowding in mental health units, noting that the crisis extends beyond the Puerto Montt Hospital to various regions across the country. This acknowledgment follows legal action by Fenpruss regarding the conditions within the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, where workers have reported a collapse of services and the relocation of patients to inadequate facilities.

To address these systemic issues, the Ministry of Health has initiated working groups with the Ministries of Social Development and Justice. Potential solutions include the habilitation of the former Chin Chin Closed Center for judicialized patients and the repurposing of facilities at the old Seminario Hospital.

In a separate development aimed at improving hospital efficiency, a new Injury and Alcohol Testing Center has been inaugurated in Puerto Montt. Located at the former Seminario Hospital, the center was established through an agreement between the Puerto Montt Hospital, the local municipality, and the Del Reloncaví Health Service. The facility is designed to divert non-emergency injury assessments and alcohol testing away from main hospital emergency rooms, thereby reducing wait times and decongesting urgent care services.