Health establishes new subrogation order in Seremis of Los Lagos and La Araucanía

The Ministry of Health, through the Undersecretariat of Public Health, has established new orders of substitution for the positions of Regional Ministerial Secretary of Health for the regions of Los Lagos and La Araucanía, determining which officials shall assume regional health leadership in the event of the absence or impediment of the titular head. The measure was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,541, dated Thursday, September 3, 2026, in Section I of General Regulations.

The exempt decrees were signed “by order of the President of the Republic” by the Minister of Health, May Chomalí Garib, and are based on articles 79, 80, and 81 of the Administrative Statute, which regulate the substitution of positions when they are not effectively performed by their titular or substitute holder.

Order of substitution in the Los Lagos Region

Exempt Decree No. 53, dated August 17, 2026 (CVE 2862121), establishes the new order of substitution for the Seremi of Health of Los Lagos, effective as of August 17, 2026. The substitutes are professionals of grade 5º EUS:

• First order: Alex Rubén Oyarzo Cuevas, identity card No. 13,968,610-1.
• Second order: José Luis Pizarro Peña, identity card No. 13,668,756-5.
• Third order: Sofía Pilar Torres Mansilla, identity card No. 10,571,987-6.

The decree nullifies Decree No. 1,528, dated April 11, 2023, and any other previous act that may have established an order of substitution for this position insofar as it contradicts the new provisions.

Order of substitution in the La Araucanía Region

For its part, Exempt Decree No. 56, dated August 24, 2026 (CVE 2863719), establishes the order of substitution for the Seremi of Health of La Araucanía, effective as of June 30, 2026. The designated substitutes are:

• First order: Rodrigo Antonio Arzumendi Cifuentes, identity card No. 16,314,933-8.
• Second order: Alejandro Héctor Osvaldo Fuentealba Chesta, identity card No. 17,983,185-6.

In this case, previous decrees that may have established an order of substitution for the position are nullified insofar as they are incompatible with the new act.

Processing and registration

Both decrees provide that the substitutes may assume their functions as of the indicated date, without waiting for the full processing of the act, when necessary for reasons of good service. Likewise, it is ordered to send a copy of each decree to the Personnel Unit of the Ministry of Health for its registration in the SIAPER Platform of the Comptroller General of the Republic. The transcription of both acts was signed by Yanara Bravo Montenegro, head of the Legal Division of the Ministry of Health.

The update of the subrogation orders ensures the continuity of regional health management, guaranteeing that public health decisions in Los Lagos and La Araucanía remain covered in the event of any absence of the titleholder, within a context of high demand for decentralized health services.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,541, September 3, 2026, Section I (General Norms), pgs. 1-2 (official reference: CVE 2862121 and CVE 2863719).