Estado actual de las especialidades médicas en Chile: realidad en el sistema público no municipalizado / Present status of medical specialties in the Chilean public health system

To adequately plan the post graduate training of physicians, we need to know the needs for specialists in the country and the most prevalent diseases and causes of consultations. In 2004, the National System of Health Services assessed the number of hours and types of specialities available, their regional distribution and calculated an approximate number of physicians in charge of those specialities, determining an equivalent per 44 weekly hours of physician. This number of hours is the maximum that a physician is allowed to work per week. Fifty six percent of specialists correspond to basic specialities (3,688 physicians equivalent to 44 hours, 33 percent to primary specialities (2,205 physicians) and 10 percent to subspecialties (666 physicians). The regional distribution of basic specialties is proportional to the population of each region. However, there are gaps in the distribution of primary specialties and subspecialties. The demand for specialists, assessed measuring the yield in minutes of each hired hour, determined that 54 percent of specialist hours are delicated to the new health program that guaranties the access to certain specialties in a predefined lapse, to all beneficiaries (AUGE). Moreover the demand for attentions to cover this health system has a gap of 30 percent in hours or 800 specialists. This motivated the creation of new posts for specialties during 2005 and 2006, equivalent to 250 physicians hired for 44 hours per week.

Perfil y número de médicos generales que requiere el país / The profile and number of primary care physicians required in Chile

Medical schools curricular planning aim to obtain a physician trained to work as general practitioner and the Chilean health reform, considers ambulatory primary care as the main axis of health care. However there is still a low interest among physicians to work in primary health care, where there are problems related to a low level of clinical resolution, clinical and administrative management deficiencies and a low level of leadership in health promotion. The causes of these deficiencies stem from university training, government policies and the great attraction that exerts the technological and specialized model of secondary and tertiary health care. We analyze the ideal profe that the general practitioner should have in our health care system and the possible solutions to primary health care problems. We also emphasize the need to coordinate the professional resource needs with university training, to reduce the existing gaps between medical training and professional practice.

La relación docente-asistencial en el nuevo contexto que establece la reforma de salud / The relationship between health care and teaching activities in the context of the Health Care Reform

The new laws of the health reform in Chile, modified the pre-existent relationship between teaching and health care activities. This relationship allows the training of health care professionals by Universities, in the clinical services of the National System of Health Services that is dependent of the Ministry of Health. The new law established new requirements for specialization and quality of care accreditation. Up to the moment, the relationship between Health Care Services and the Universities was based on harmonic and consensual agreements between both counterparts. With the new law, such relationship becomes more relative and is based on new norms. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to establish a regulated and equilibrated relationship between both institutions, to assure the best possible training of health care professionals, in terms of skills and competences, to adequately satisfy the health needs of the population.

Disponibilidad de médicos en Chile al año 2004 / Availability of physicians in Chile at the year 2004

Background: The number of physicians available in a given country, their efficiency, quality and specialization is of utmost epidemiological importance. Aim: To evaluate the availability of physicians in Chile. Material and methods: The information about the number of physicians in Chile up to the year 2004, was obtained from the Ministry of Health, national universities and the register of immigrant physicians since 1950. Results: The total number of physicians licensed to practice was 25,542, of whom 2,700 are immigrants. The physician/inhabitant ratio increased from 1/921 in 1998 to 1/612 in 2004. The greater impact in the increment of available physicians was given by the immigration of professionals and by the increase in the number of physicians graduated from national universities, mainly from the new private universities. Forty two percent of physicians work at public services and 61 percent of these are certified specialists. The regional distribution of general practitioners and basic specialists is adequate. Along the country, the mean physician/beneficiary ratio is 8.45/10,000, the specialist/beneficiary ratio is 4.9/10,000 and the general practitioner/beneficiary ratio is 2.3/10,000. Conclusions: The national information of available physicians, especially in the private sector, should be improved. Immigration of physicians should be regulated, maintaining validation examinations and a National Medical Test to assess medical proficiency should be instituted.