After weeks of violent chaos that left health workers in fear and patients stranded, the government has agreed to restore fixed police posts at two family health centers in Bajos de Mena, Puente Alto. The deal, announced Friday by Mayor Matías Toledo and Metropolitan Regional Delegate Germán Codina, comes on the heels of multiple shooting incidents and worker protests that forced the clinics to suspend services.
The two affected centers—the Cesfam Cardenal Raúl Silva Henríquez and Karol Wojtyla—have become flashpoints for violence, with both facilities experiencing armed individuals bursting in, threatening staff, and firing shots. The Silva Henríquez clinic was hit twice in less than a month, the most recent incident just over two weeks ago on Oct. 16. During that attack, a group of men damaged windows, computers, and other equipment, causing an estimated 30 million pesos in damage, Portal Red Salud noted.
The escalating danger prompted health workers to take action. They staged a protest and limited care to "ethical turns" only, refusing to work until their safety was guaranteed.
The human toll has been stark. Portal Red Salud reported that five people shot in a nearby incident arrived at the Silva Henríquez clinic on Wednesday night, forcing another suspension of services. The following morning, about 40 patients arrived for care only to find the doors locked. This recurring violence has turned the clinics into zones of vulnerability, where the primary mission of healing is overshadowed by the threat of violence.
A Deal to Restore Security
The turning point came in a lengthy meeting between Mayor Toledo and Delegate Codina. After nearly four hours of negotiation, the two announced an agreement to bring back Carabineros, Chile’s national police force. “Today, after an extensive meeting that lasted several hours, I believe it was close to four hours, where we advanced and retreated throughout the meeting, the Metropolitan Presidential Delegation issued a document where it orders the Seremi [Regional Secretary] to have these two fixed points available in both Cesfams,” Toledo said.
Toledo was careful to explain that the process is not yet complete. The Seremi of Public Security must now officially contact Carabineros to deploy the officers. “So, as a municipal team, as an association and as officials, we will be on alert with this until it is completed,” he added. His comments highlight the fragile nature of the solution, with both local officials and workers watching to see if the promise is kept.
For his part, Delegate Codina acknowledged the gravity of the situation and pointed to a previous policy decision that left the clinics vulnerable. “The fixed points that were in these clinics were removed in December 2025, that is, as the previous government was ending,” Codina stated. He was unequivocal that the recent events, particularly the two episodes at the Silva Henríquez clinic, prove the need to reinstate the posts. “We have to be frank that the situations that have affected the workers, and especially those at the Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez with the last two episodes, show us the need to reinstate these fixed points,” he said.
A Community in Fear and a National Debate
The crisis in Bajos de Mena has resonated beyond the local community, sparking political debate. José Antonio Neme, on the show Mucho Gusto, reacted with exasperation to news of another shooting victim arriving at the Karol Wojtyla clinic. “It pains me that it’s not a surprise, but the truth is that this has been repeated time and again and there has been no fundamental measure,” Neme said, according to Mega.cl. He described the situation as a world turned upside down, where people can “walk around with a revolver, with a submachine gun, threaten the staff in the primary care boxes, and nothing happens.”
Macarena Santelices issued a direct call to the Minister of Public Security, Martín Arrau, demanding urgent intervention. “Five gunshot victims arrived in the last hours at the Cesfam Raúl Silva Henríquez… in the district I represent, where neighbors beg me for police protection,” Santelices stated, Portal Red Salud reported. She emphasized that families in Bajos de Mena are living in fear, effectively prisoners in their own homes, and that children are being held captive by the drug trade.
“The security of health teams cannot depend on the severity of the last incident nor be relegated until a new emergency occurs. It is a basic condition to guarantee care and a responsibility that the State must assume with urgency.”
Anamaría Arriagada, Presidenta Nacional Colegio Médico de Chile
The agreement to reinstate the Carabineros posts is a critical first step, but it leaves a larger question unanswered. How did these health centers become targets of such violence in the first place? The sources point to a toxic mix of factors: a vacuum of police presence that was created in late 2025, and a failure of the state to protect the very institutions tasked with preserving life. The reinstatement of police officers may provide immediate relief, but the underlying crisis of public safety in this community remains a profound challenge.
