The Health Commission of the Chilean Senate approved the changes made by the Lower House on the law that will regulate health providers who provide care by telemedicine.
On April 19, the Health Commission of the Chilean Senate announced the priority projects of the 2022 legislative agenda for the government. Among them is Bulletin No. 13,375-11, on the Bill that authorizes health providers to provide care through telemedicine.
Prior to this announcement, on April 14, likewise, the Senate Health Commission approved the changes proposed by the Chamber of Deputies. These changes were made during the second process of this telemedicine regulation law.
The new regulation law for health service providers to carry out care by telemedicine, explains that: "Remote care will be understood as that which is the responsibility of all health professionals and that takes place through the use of communication technologies. for the exchange of information for diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, end-of-life care, disease and injury prevention, research, and evaluation purposes.”
In addition, it establishes that the application of telemedicine can be given in outpatient and hospital care environments. In this sense, Chile is close to having a law that regulates and authorizes telemedicine services and professionals offer their services through this modality.
Regarding the various initiatives that are part of the legislative agenda of the Congress and the Ministry of Health, the Minister of Health, María Begoña Yarza, explained that “if we want to transform the Health System, it is not only through the financing, but also from innovation”.
In addition, he stressed that it is only a resource issue, but rather a need to make changes in the way things are done so that they are effective in the health system.