The appointment of Jeannette Vega as deputy medical director at Claudio Vicuña Hospital in San Antonio sparked tensions with health authorities, who requested the resignation of director Loreto Maturana to remove her. However, the designated interim director, Ximena Parada, and other executives refused to take over, stating that health has no political color. The incident leaves the Health Service without an immediate line of succession.
Jeannette Vega, former Minister of Social Development in Gabriel Boric's government, took office on Monday as deputy medical director of Management at Claudio Vicuña Hospital in San Antonio, appointed by director Loreto Maturana. The Valparaíso-San Antonio Health Service, led by Juan Castro, and the Subsecretary of Care Networks, headed by Julio Montt, criticized the decision for lacking their approval.
Juan Castro told La Tercera: “I personally do not endorse the decision. I respect Dr. Vega professionally, but I believe it is a political mistake.” On Thursday, the Health Service requested Maturana's non-voluntary resignation for loss of trust and management errors, appointing Ximena Parada as interim director with instructions to remove Vega, who had been in the role for 72 hours.
At 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, Parada sent a letter to Maturana refusing the interim role, also signed by Alex Gómez, head of the Critical Patient Unit, and Mauricio Cortés, head of the operating room. The letter states: “This decision is based on the strength of the formed team that is now broken [...]. As doctors, we must state that health has no political color and decisions must be based on technical aspects; we must heal all patients.”
Both sides claim political motivations. The hospital defends Vega's credentials, including experience in Public Health, Fonasa, and the WHO. Deputies like Luis Sánchez (Republican Party) and Andrés Celis called it 'outlandish' and political. If Maturana does not resign within 48 hours, the position will be declared vacant.
