Choapa region adds five ambulances and expands specialist outreach to remote towns

The hospitals of Illapel and Salamanca in Chile’s Choapa province have received five new ambulances—three for Illapel and two for Salamanca—replacing rented vehicles and strengthening the province’s patient‑transfer network. In 2025, Salamanca handled 3,044 transfers and Illapel 731, with over 330 transfers already recorded in 2026, linking patients to hospitals in Illapel, Coquimbo, La Serena, Ovalle, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Santiago.

Separately, a second rural‑health operation in the Antofagasta region brought a team of twelve volunteer specialists to the remote communities of María Elena and Quillagua. Services covered twelve specialties, including ophthalmology, geriatrics and dermatology, and enabled immediate diagnoses for many patients. The initiative, coordinated by the local municipality, Fundación Acrux and SQM, addressed about 50% of priority cases, reducing wait times and avoiding long journeys for residents.