MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile assesses cost of alcohol to national health scheme

Alcoholism is the main risk factor in diseases, traumatisms and death cases in Chile according to two independent reports contracted by the country's sanitary authorities and released Wednesday.

Public Health minister Maria Soledad Barria and Deputy minister Jeanette Vega made a presentation of the findings which includes a report from the Universidad Católica prestigious Medical School. The reports are linked to the new Chilean health system and sanitary policies particularly the inclusion of 24 new pathologies in the list of 80 which the scheme considers must be covered and funded with government resources. "There's a huge relevance in diseases which so far had not emerged, and they are linked to alcohol such as hepatic cirrhosis and a whole range of traumatisms associated with car accidents", said Minister Barria. "We are also seeing with a degree of anxiety how it is also linked to the leading concern about diseases related to our psychological stability such as neuropsychiatry cases, depression, aggressiveness, all closely influenced by alcohol", she added. Barria said that one of the main actions to be taken is to speed the approval of a bill on alcohol consumption and publicity which is currently under consideration in the Senate's Health Committee. "The bill includes new labeling in alcohol bottles, education on drinking habits and far more stricter fines and punishment for those caught driving under the influence of alcohol or alcohol dependent", underlined the Chilean minister.