The Senate Health Commission agreed to reject the 2.5% budget cut to the Ministry of Health. Subsecretary Julio Montt defended efficiency measures before senators and unions.
The Senate Health Commission met on May 19 and unanimously approved the rejection of the 413 billion peso adjustment ordered by the Treasury.
Subsecretary of Health Networks Julio Montt explained that the cut aims to improve efficiency and control absenteeism. He detailed that 3.947 billion pesos from the APS Universal program will be paused and redirected to cancer screening, without affecting the base per capita funding.
Commission president Juan Luis Castro criticized the absence of the Treasury minister and stated that not a single peso is spare in health. Representatives from Confusam and the Medical College voiced their rejection and called for unity.
Mayors such as Sebastián Sichel and Maximiliano Luksic also expressed concern over the impact on primary care.
