President Piñera announces vaccination for children between three and five years of age and secures vaccine supply for all of next year
At a recent cabinet meeting of ministers and undersecretaries held at the Cerro Castillo Palace, the President charted out plans for the final months of his administration. He also indicated the extension of the Employment IFE (Emergency Family Income).
Chile’s President, Sebastián Piñera, led a recent cabinet meeting at the Cerro Castillo Palace in Viña del Mar, where he outlined plans for the final three and a half months of his administration.
At the event, the President made a series of important announcements, one of which was confirmation of vaccination for children under six years of age. “We want to announce that, from December 6, we are going to start vaccinating children between three and five years of age. With this step, everyone whose vaccines are guaranteed will be able to get vaccinated and protect their lives,” he stated.
The President also explained that the vaccine supply has been secured for next year, “which provides great peace of mind for whoever becomes the next President of Chile.”
Additionally, he mentioned, “given the huge success of employment-growth plans, we are going to extend the Employment IFE beyond this December, as a way to ensure that all Chileans who want to work will have the opportunity to do so under good working conditions, with social security and fair wages.”
On another note, President Piñra stated that one of the priorities for the rest of his term in office is to strengthen economic and job recovery: “Fortunately, the news is very favorable and we expect growth to be around 12% this year, the highest recorded since official statistics began in 1960. This places Chile in a position of leadership and at the forefront in terms of economic resilience. The same goes for investments, which are growing strongly at around 25%.”
Pensions
Regarding pensions, the President pointed out that he will push implementation of the second stage of the Pension Reform Bill, which seeks to broaden the Solidarity Pillar that currently benefits 60% of Chileans, so that it reaches 80% of the eligible population. “This means adding around a million more beneficiaries. We also want to raise the Basic Solidarity Pension so that it’s above the poverty line,” he said.
Finally, the President reiterated that, in terms of health, the government is working on quickly recovering the waiting lists for other illnesses caused by the pandemic, together with establishing a guaranteed universal health plan, reducing the price of medicines and finalizing efforts to modernize health infrastructure: “By the end of our administration, we’ll have 24 new hospitals and more than 100 primary healthcare centers up and running.”