Antofagasta. Occupational health mutual societies: At the service of whom?

On Thursday, June 13, the complaint was made public by workers at the Antofagasta Regional Hospital, in which they point out absolute negligence on the part of their mutual benefit, in this case the ACHS, after being treated while being seriously affected both psychologically and physically afterwards. to the critical situation where a patient who wanted to take his life decompensated. The ACHS turned a blind eye to this situation, ignoring the status of the workers, sending them to work again, without protection or support after the tense situation they experienced.

If the situation experienced by health workers in emergency services, which are overwhelmed at the national level due to the number of mental health consultations and the serious lack of beds for timely hospitalization in services that have staff, is already difficult. and the adequate infrastructure conditions for their correct care and containment, becomes even more serious when in situations of extreme gravity such as the one reported by the Antofagasta workers, the mutual societies are not responsible for protecting the integrity of the officials.

It is worth asking, then, at whose service are these institutions that are supposed to ensure the physical and mental “safety” of workers?

The origin of mutuals

It is common for these private entities to minimize occupational health problems or even not want to recognize them as such. And mutual societies precisely have a business origin.

The ACHS was born in 1958 from a business group, the Mutual de Seguridad is linked to the Chilean Chamber of Construction. From their origin they defend other interests, which is not precisely the comprehensive health of workers, but rather the way to avoid expenses or losses for companies.

What is reported is not something exclusive to a mutual society or hospital workers, on the contrary, it is a common factor of the mutual society system that affects workers in all areas, minimizing occupational diseases, not recognizing them and thus preventing and workers make use of medical leaves, or undergo studies or receive treatment and that employers have to pay for them. But monetary issues are not the only problem for employers; they also have to hide all the damage caused by long working hours, excessive work and the terrible conditions in which they must work, holding workers responsible for the damage they cause. They are acquired as a result of work.

From Abran Paso we denounce what happened in the emergency service, as well as in any workplace. Enough of mutual societies deciding for our health in favor of big businessmen, we must put an end to mutual societies as institutions that only profit from occupational health, the health of workers must be organized by themselves, under their criteria and for their needs, not for the benefit of businessmen and in favor of their grotesque productivity, which is why it is necessary to speak out and not remain silent in these situations.