In a session marked by the participation of key figures of the Executive and representatives of the public sector, the Social Development Commission of the Chamber of Deputies discussed this Tuesday the bill that creates the National Care System, known as “Chile Cuida”.

With the presence of the Ministers of Women and Gender Equity, Antonia Orellana, and of Social Development, Javiera Toro, the session highlighted the importance of this system to improve the living conditions of thousands of women caregivers and people who require support in the life cycle.

The project, which has the highest urgency from the Executive, was contextualized by Minister Toro, who explained the objectives and scope of “Chile Cuida”, highlighting its role in the recognition of the right to care and the need to articulate a network of community care.

"These tasks, which are invisible and socially and economically devalued, affect more than 700,000 women in Chile," says Selma Núñez, PSI WOC member in the country.

The session also included testimonies from academia and life experiences, such as the intervention of a mother caregiver of autistic children from the commune of El Bosque, who emphasized the importance of greater articulation between municipal health and the care system.

Selma Núñez, a member of the PSI Women's Committee (WOC) in Chile and responsible for the issue of Care in the National Federation of University Professionals of Health Services (Fenpruss), made a key intervention in the session, where she defended the urgent need to approve the bill and highlighted the central role that women play in care work, which has historically fallen disproportionately on them.

Núñez emphasized that these tasks, which are invisible and socially and economically devalued, affect more than 700,000 women in Chile, who find it impossible to access paid jobs or face tensions when combining work and care.

“The 'Chile Cuida' bill represents a significant advance in the consecration of the right to care throughout the life cycle and in the recognition of the self-care of those who carry out these tasks. From the PSI Women's Committee we consider that this system is necessary and urgent for Chile, because although the demand has been silent, its implementation would benefit transversally all the families of the country”, affirmed Núñez.

In addition, Núñez highlighted the importance of perfecting the proposal, suggesting that the project should include clearer regulations on private care services and greater state participation in the governance of the system, as occurs in the Uruguayan model. “We recognize the State's financial constraints, but we advocate the approval of progressive fiscal policies that ensure the sustainability of this fundamental right,” she concluded.

Núñez's intervention joined a series of calls from various sectors to speed up the processing of the bill, considered fundamental to address the care crisis in Chile. In turn, public sector workers, represented by PSI, reiterated their commitment to collaborate in the improvement of the initiative and advance in the social reconstruction of care, a challenge that, according to Núñez, “implies not only improving the living conditions of those who care for and are cared for, but also advancing towards a more just and equitable country”.

The PSI Women's Committee in Chile plans to meet with the benches of the different political parties to influence and improve the text of the bill.