The government of President José Antonio Kast stated that the measure is aimed at speeding up the investigations and applying the sanctions that correspond to public officials who misuse medical leave.
This came after the Comptroller General of the Republic published a new report identifying 7,207 employees who traveled abroad while on sick leave in 2025.
According to the record, the figures show a 63% decrease in cases compared to the previous two years. In 2023, 19,963 officials were detected traveling outside Chile while on leave, and in 2024 the number was 19,597.
Despite this, voices from the opposition quickly emerged calling on the Executive to conclude the summary investigations, among them Senator Juan Luis Castro (PS), president of the Health Committee of the upper chamber.
"If in a year and a half only 10% of the investigations, which numbered 25,000, have been completed, and of those only 1% have been sanctioned with dismissal, there is impunity here," the legislator questioned.
In response, the Undersecretary of the Interior, Máximo Pavez, stated: "All heads of service are committed to learning about and expediting these investigations, which are sometimes quite numerous, so that those who committed this breach of integrity are held accountable and pay with the corresponding sanction."
In addition, he highlighted that "the jurisprudence of the courts has upheld the jurisprudential line…"
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The government of President José Antonio Kast stated that the aim of the measure is to expedite the summary investigations and apply the corresponding sanctions to public officials who misuse medical leave. This came after the Comptroller General of the Republic published a new report identifying 7,207 employees who traveled abroad while on sick leave in 2025. According to the registry, the figures show a 63% decrease in cases compared to the two previous years. In 2023, 19,963 officials were detected traveling outside Chile while on medical leave, and in 2024 the number was 19,597. Despite this, voices from the opposition quickly emerged calling on the Executive to conclude the summary investigations, among them Senator Juan Luis Castro (PS), president of the Health Committee of the upper chamber. "If in a year and a half only 10% of the summary investigations, which numbered 25,000, have been concluded, and of those only 1% have resulted in dismissal, there is impunity here," the legislator questioned. In response, Undersecretary of the Interior Máximo Pavez stated: "All service chiefs are committed to getting to know and speeding up those summary investigations, which are sometimes quite numerous, so that the people who committed this breach of integrity are held accountable and pay with the corresponding sanction." He also highlighted that "the jurisprudence of the courts has upheld the Comptroller's jurisprudential line, in the sense of considering leaving the country while on medical leave a serious breach of integrity. Therefore, the conditions for judicial proceedings are favorable for materializing the sanctions that the Comptroller has indicated." The official also noted that La Moneda's stance is in line with what was stated by the oversight body. "Namely, that the resources of Chileans, which include the working hours of public officials, be used for what they are meant to be used for: that is, for the public function." He then reinforced: "The summary investigations that are underway will be concluded. And the summary investigations that need to be initiated will have to be initiated." The undersecretary was asked whether the reviews would be extended to the 2018–2022 period. "If it is necessary to continue requesting audits going back, to the extent that the statute of limitations for administrative responsibility allows it, we will gladly do so," he replied.