MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas cardio-surgery hub for south Chile

Chilean national health authorities confirmed Punta Arenas as a heart surgery and homodynamic hub with jurisdiction over the south of the country.

Although it's a long term objective conditioned to the new Magallanes Region hospital currently under construction, Jorge Flies, head of regional health services remarked the benefits are already evident.

"We are seeing an increase in the number of heart surgeries in Punta Arenas as well as in the formation of specialists such as cardiologists and homodynamic experts", said Dr. Flies who emphasized the region "is becoming a pole of cardio-surgery development", one of the six in the whole of Chile.

The decision also implies a change in official Chilean policy because these types of highly sophisticated treatment centres are usually located in densely populated areas and choosing Punta Arenas includes a territorial concept.

Until only recently all heart surgery patients from Magallanes were flown to Santiago.

"Another immediate impact of making Punta Arenas a regional heart surgery centre is that the medical population and support personnel will significantly increase plus all the equipment logistics needed", added Dr. Flies.

"This will definitively help to end uncertainty among patients over flights to Santiago and appointments in hospitals, and is clear evidence that Chile regionally is prepared for advanced scientific projects", said Punta Arenas mayor Jaime Jelincic interviewed by the local press.

Mr. Jelincic also recalled that heart diseases are one of the main death causes in Magallanes.