The Ministry of Health of Chile ( es, Ministerio de Salud de Chile, links=no), also known as MINSAL, is the

cabinet-level A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...

administrative office in charge of planning, directing, coordinating, executing, controlling and informing the

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

policies formulated by the

President of Chile The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is r ...

. Notably, all employees pay 7% of their monthly income to FONASA, the funding branch of the Chilean Ministry of Health. The current Minister of Health is Ximena Aguilera. The minister has two adjuncts: the

Undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is al ...

of Public Health ( es, Subsecretaria de Salud Pública) and the Undersecretary of Assistance Networks ( es, Subsecretaria de Redes Asistenciales).

History

In 1808, the Committee of Vaccines ( es, Junta de Vacunas) was founded, and then in 1832 the Board of Directors of Hospitals ( es, Junta Directiva de Hospitales) began operations. Both organizations were precursors of what would become the modern institutions of public health. In 1907, a division charged with the administration of public

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

was created under the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

( es, Ministerio del Interior). Then on 14 October 1924, this division was made into the cabinet-level Ministry of Hygiene, Social Assistance and Welfare ( es, Ministerio de Higiene, Asistencia y Previsión Social), with the same function (Decree No. 44, 1924). In 1927 all the ministries underwent an important restructuring; with these change it became the Ministry of Social Welfare ( es, Ministerio de Bienestar Social), and was charged with, as well as the coordination of public health policies, the investigation of the application of laws relating to society, public welfare, and social security. In 1932, it was once again renamed, becoming the Ministry of Public Health ( es, Ministerio de Salubridad Pública), then the Ministry of Public Health, Social Assistance and Welfare ( es, Ministerio de Salubridad Pública, Asistencia y Previsión Social) in 1936, and later the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare ( es, Ministerio de Salud Pública y Previsión Social) in 1953. In 1959, the ministry was divided into the Ministry of Public Health ( es, Ministerio de Salud Pública), the modern form of the ministry, and, assuming the functions regulating the welfare of Chileans, the Ministry of Work and Social Welfare ( es, Ministerio del Trabajo y Previsión Social). Finally, from 1973 to 1979, the internal structure of the ministry, now simply the Ministry of Health, was reorganized, creating services such as the National Health Fund ( es, Fondo Nacional de Salud), or FONASA.

Organization

Currently under the Ministry are the following public institutions: * Fondo Nacional de Salud ( es, Fondo Nacional de Salud, FONASA) * Public Health Institute of Chile ( es, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, ISP) * Center for Supply ( es, Central de Abastecimiento, CENABAST) * The Health Services in each

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

of the country are charges with the coordination, management, and development of the assistance networks and execution of the ministry's action.

Titulars

Ministers of Hygiene, Social Assistance and Welfare

Ministers of Social Welfare

Ministers of Public Health (First Creation)

Ministers of Public Health, Social Assistance and Welfare

Ministers of Public Health and Social Welfare

Ministers of Public Health (Second Creation)

Additional information

References

Sources

* *

External links

MINSAL official website

Public Health policies and Ministers

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of Health (Chile)

Health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

Medical and health organisations based in Chile

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

1959 establishments in Chile