SQM expands iodine‑linked health programs in northern Chile

SQM’s communities and public affairs manager Aníbal Abogabir outlined how the company’s iodine production supports global health and local initiatives in Chile’s Atacama region. Iodine, used in iodised salt, medicines and contrast agents for imaging, underpins a range of mobile health services that SQM operates in rural and coastal areas, including cancer‑screening exams and dental care.

The firm has partnered with Universidad Arturo Prat, the University of Antofagasta and regional authorities to provide scholarships for internal‑medicine and family‑medicine specialisation in Tarapacá and Antofagasta, aiming to reduce specialist shortages. A plan to open the first medical school in Tarapacá by 2027 is also noted. In addition, SQM helped launch a SAMU ambulance base in Pozo Almonte, cutting emergency response times for the Tamarugal Province from up to one hour to immediate availability.