Original article: “Fuimos a entregar una carta y sufrimos la peor represión de nuestra historia”: CONFUSAM denuncia violencia policial frente a La Moneda
«We went to deliver a letter and suffered the worst repression in our history,» declared members of the National Confederation of Municipal Health Officials (Confusam) after facing police violence outside the La Moneda Palace.
The union, representing over 70,000 workers, staged a peaceful protest this Thursday at the government headquarters to submit a letter addressed to President José Antonio Kast, warning about the implications of the 2.8 trillion peso ($) cuts to public spending announced by his administration.
From the Confederation, they warn that cuts to the Ministry of Health alone amount to over $413 billion this year, which will significantly impact the quantity and quality of care in clinics, emergency services, and specialized operations across hospitals in the country.
In the document, they denounced the freezing of the basal per capita funding for the second consecutive year, along with the uncertainty regarding the continuity of around 40 health programs.
«We Suffered the Worst Repression in Our History»
Members of Confusam reported that during the protest, they were violently suppressed, leading to the detention of 11 officials at the Third Police Station in Santiago.
«Today we went peacefully to deliver a letter to the office at La Moneda. We spent a few minutes dialoguing with Carabineros and seeking to highlight the budget cuts we face for primary care without a real per capita funding for 2026. Unfortunately, we suffered the worst repression in our organization’s history, from its inception to today. We were assaulted today. Leading men and women from Arica to Magallanes were present at this event,» said Confusam’s national president, Gabriela Flores Salgado, in a video shared on the organization’s social media.
«We regret that the objective is lost today, that we are unable to express on the streets the difficulties we face as a country, especially in health. I call on the President of the Republic not to target those of us who are the voice of the workers and the users, because they cannot manifest, and we are only demanding resources to function and provide higher quality care for over 80% of the population who utilize primary health care services,» she indicated.
Meanwhile, Mariluz Chaparro, a leader of the Ferfumaps Federation from Maule, noted that officials were detained «without causing any disturbances, without violent actions towards anyone, without attacking Carabineros, and only for demanding dignified health care for our community and the people of Chile.»
She stressed that the role of uniformed officers is not to repress Confusam’s leaders, but rather to «go to the communities to seek out drug traffickers, to provide real security to this country, and not to repress those of us who provide health care, who care for pregnant women, and all the citizens in their life cycle.»
«Let’s Not Wait for Hospitals to Fall Apart»
The union demands that the far-right administration stop budget cuts, ensure the continuation of health programs, correct the freezing of per capita funding, and settle the state’s debt to municipalities related to this concept.
Laura San Martín, head of the Legal Commission of Confusam questioned why officials were repressed and subsequently detained for «simply asking for more resources, for the debts owed to us, and requesting more funding for primary care, more resources for medications, and better infrastructure.»
«We are not asking for salary increases; we are only requesting better care for our users. We are also demanding that they settle the debts they owe us regarding primary care, but not salaries. This is what the public needs to know,» she clarified.
San Martín extended an invitation to users to join a struggle that «is not only for workers in primary care or municipal health workers.»
«This must be a struggle of all the people of Chile. Let’s not wait for hospitals to fall apart. Let’s not wait for clinics to deteriorate. Let’s not wait for deaths due to a government that only wants to dismantle the State and healthcare,» she warned.
Despite the repression, Confusam made it clear that they will continue to defend their rights and oppose the budget cuts from President Kast’s government.
«Our colleagues communicated what is happening. We have detained comrades, but this does not mean we will stop. We will continue to manifest, especially the right to union representation, because it cannot be that in Chile today the working class is repressed,» stated Makarena Albornos, head of the Youth Commission of the Confederation.
«Kast is Dismantling Public Health»
In the record, Confusam’s national president, Gabriela Flores Salgado, indicated that with the implementation of a policy of cuts in key sectors, «the campaign rhetoric has collapsed for the President of the Republic,» denouncing that «today Kast is dismantling primary healthcare.»
«Confusam will not allow it. We will continue to fight in the streets so that Chile opens its eyes and understands that this government lied, that it will never boost dignity for the poor in healthcare because all they want is for private entities to take over public health,» the leader warned.
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