Chile

Healthcare System

The health care system in Chile is divided in two. In one hand you have the private service managed by the ISAPRES and public service managed by FONASA (National Health Fund). More than 70% of the population is affiliated to the Public System. In the past years the Goverment has worked really hard in increasing the coverage of the Publich Health System which turn out in the creation of the called GES (Explicit Health Guarantees). The GES system is based in the asurement of the diagnosis and treatment of the highest morbility/mortality diseases ranging from Hypertension to several kind of cancers. This means if a person is affected with one of this common diseases the treatment and the follow up are for free. Right now the goverment is working in increasing the number of diseases that are include in the new System. Even if you have ISAPRE you get the coverage for the GES. In Chile is mandatory to be part of a Health System, either public or private. If you have a salary is mandatory to pay the 7% of it, if you are affiliated to the private one you can pay the 7% for the basic plan coverage or more if you want to get more insurance. Homeless people are on FONASA and they get healthcare for free. The patients of the public system are supossed to be attend first in the “Consultorios” and if is an emergency then they can get attention in the “SAPU” and afterwards they are sent to the Hospital where they can get a more specific treatment.

Currency

• Peso Chili

Food

Chilean cuisine stems mainly from the combination of traditional Spanish cuisine, Chilean Indigenous Mapuche culture and local ingredients, with later important influences from other European cuisines, particularly from Germany, Italy and France. The food tradition and recipes in Chile are notable for the variety of flavours and ingredients, with the country’s diverse geography and climate hosting a wide range of agricultural produce, fruits and vegetables. The long coastline and the peoples’ relationship with the Pacific Ocean add an immense array of seafood products to Chilean cuisine, with the country’s waters home to unique species of fish, molluscs, crustaceans and algae, thanks to the oxygen-rich water carried in by the Humboldt Current. Chile is also one of the world’s largest producers of wine and many Chilean recipes are enhanced and accompanied by local wines. Chilean cuisine is also shares some similarities with Mediterranean cuisine, as the matorral region, stretching from 32° to 37° south, is one of the world’s five Mediterranean climate zones.

Popular Chilean foods you will see as you explore the country are :

• Pebre

This sauce is typically served with warm bread called pan amasado. It looks like salsa you would typically find at a Mexican restaurant in the U.S., but it tastes nothing like it. Pebre is a seasoning made with tomatoes at the base and topped off with chopped onions, chili, chives, garlic, coriander, oil, and vinegar.

• Empanadas

Empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling. The most traditional empanada filling is called pino. Pino is a mixture of minced meat, onions, raisins, black olives and hard-boiled eggs.

• Porotos Granados (Fresh bean stew)

Porotos Granados is a traditional Summer dish made when the ingredients are fresh and in season. The main ingredients are beans, mashed corn, onions, pumpkin, garlic, tomatoes, and basil.

• Sopaipillas (Pumpkin fritters)

Sopaipillas are simple flat breads that are fried. They are made from a mixture of pumpkins, butter, and flour, flattened into circles.

• Cazuelas

Cazuelas are basically soups or stews. One typical dish of Chilean cazuela contains a piece of meat, a potato, a piece of pumpkin, and the stock obtained from boiling all of them together. These are sometimes complemented with cooked rice (in the stock), small-sized noodles, green beans, celery, sliced carrots, garlic, cabbage, among others. In summer the cazuela is accompanied by a piece of sweetcorn, cooked apart or in the same stock.

Transportation

Traffic is frequently congested during working hours and parking on public streets in the downtown sector is difficult to find and is controlled with parking fees. Many streets are one-way, and marked with an arrow, if and when visible or installed. In residential areas people frequently park on either side of the street, regardless of traffic direction and in some areas vehicles may be seen parked either entirely or partially—with only one side of the vehicle—on the sidewalk or grass area. Traffic signals frequently use green arrows to control turns and right hand turns are not permitted when a red light is showing unless there is a specific sign authorizing such a turn. Drivers often disregard marked traffic lanes and many buses and collective taxis will stop virtually anywhere to take on or discharge passengers. Buses and collective taxis are the most popular massive transport. The bus fare is CLP$140 for students and $450 for adults; the colectivos charge $500 ($650 at night). Regular taxis and Uber are also available.

• Local transportation

Transport service varies depending on the size of the city. The biggest cities in Chile are Santiago de Chile, Concepción and Valparaíso, so just them have a Metro system. And all of them have buses to take you from one point of the city and this is the most common mean use by Chilean, except for Santiago de Chile, where Metro is the most used system.

Santiago de Chile also sets apart from the rest of the country in the means of payment, in this city is mandatory to have a card to use either Metro or Buses, which has to be charged every once in a while with money. In the rest of the city, you have to pay with cash the bus fare and with a similar card the Metro (Concepción and Valparaíso).

• National transportation (between cities)

by Bus

It is widely spread in the country the usage of buses to move between cities. Generally speaking we may say they are safe, fast and confortable. Here we drop a few bus lines operating in Chile, where you can check the prices and frecuencies (1 USD = 600 CLP).

• Tur Bus, webpage:https://www.turbus.cl/
• Cruz del Sur, webpage:http://www.busescruzdelsur.cl/VEL/
• EmeBus, webpage: https://www.emebus.cl/view/indexPro.jsp
• ETM, webpage: http://www.etm.cl/

by Plane

How do you get in the country? By plane would be the typical option. Almost all the international flights arrive to Santiago Airport (SCL) and then make a connection with another flight directly to your final destination (unless you have been placed in Santiago de Chile). If you are placed in San Felipe, Valparaíso or Talca, first you have to get in Santiago de Chile and after take a bus to your final destination.

• Arica: Chacalluta International Airport (ARI)
• Antofagasta: Andres Sabella International Airport (ANF)
• La Serena: La Florida Airport (LSC)
• Santiago de Chile: Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL)
• Concepción: Carriel Sur International Airport (CCP)
• Temuco: La Araucania International Airport (ZCO)
• Valdivia: Pichoy Airport (ZAL)
• Osorno: Cañal Bajo Airport (ZOS)
• Puerto Montt: El Tepual International Airport (PMC)
• Coyhaique: Balmaceda Airport (BBA)
• Punta Arenas:Carlos Ibáñez International Airport (PUQ)

San Felipe, Valparaiso, Talca & Chillan doesn’t have an airport with regular flights from Santiago, but it is advisable to get to the nearest city aiport.
Here in Chile we have some airlines for domestic flights, they are really convenient at the time of looking for a good price:

• LATAM Airlines(LA), webpage: http://www.latam.com/
• Sky Airlines(H2), webpage: https://www.skyairline.cl/
• JetSmart, webpage: https://jetsmart.com/cl/es/

Exchange Conditions

Professional Exchange: https://exchange.ifmsa.org/exchange/scope/explore/conditions/view/19

Research Exchange: https://exchange.ifmsa.org/exchange/score/explore/conditions/view/46