The Chilean People 51Health Care
Public health facilities are also substandard, and with
the introduction of private health care (ISAPRES), many
people have opted to leave the public health care system
altogether. One consequence is that less money is now being
contributed to the public health care system (FONASA).
Many doctors who work in private hospitals also devote
time to working in public clinics. However, these well-
trained doctors are hampered by the rundown facilities
and inadequate equipment and supplies available to them
in the public clinics. As a result, the level of care that the
poor receive is overwhelmingly inferior to that received by
the middle and upper classes.
Public Transportation
The working poor rely heavily on public transportation, often
taking long, crowded, uncomfortable bus rides to get to and
from work. Since the poblaciones (poor neighbourhoods) are
located along the edge of Santiago and other cities, many
are stuck for over an hour in a bus just going one way. When
the heavy rains hit Santiago during the winter months, the
poblaciones are subject to floods that halt transportation and
damage homes. It is not uncommon for a poor family to
suffer annual losses due to flooding.
Drugs and Alcohol
Drug abuse among teenagers and young adults in the
poblaciones is a growing problem. The most common illicit
drugs in Chile are marijuana and pasta base, a crude form of
cocaine. Sniffing glue is another problem, as is alcoholism,
although these difficult situations are not limited to the
lower class.
VALUES
The Chilean people are often considered to be conservative,
yet attitudes are changing. Issues traditionally at the
forefront of debate, such as politics, economics and human
rights, now compete with a wide array of topics that up until
a few years ago were never discussed publicly. These include