Hospital Regional de Antofagasta launches telemedicine service for remote communities

On 1 July 2026, the Hospital Regional de Antofagasta (HRA) in Chile began operating a telemedicine program aimed at residents of distant communes such as Calama, Tocopilla, Mejillones, Taltal and Sierra Gorda. The service connects patients to specialists via video‑conferencing through the Ministry of Health’s Hospital Digital platform, starting with rheumatology consultations in partnership with the Hospital Carlos Cisterna in Calama.

The initiative, announced by HRA director Dr Pedro Usedo López, seeks to cut long travel times, reduce waiting lists and mitigate the regional shortage of specialists. Patients can receive care from local health centers while a specialist joins remotely, allowing immediate clinical interaction and triage of new referrals. Future specialties slated for inclusion include cardiology pre‑surgical assessments, neurology, palliative care and otorhinolaryngology.

Dr Usedo emphasized that the program fulfills a public‑account commitment to provide concrete responses to the population’s needs, improving timely and dignified access to public health services across the Antofagasta region.