Over the course of two days at San Camilo Hospital, 24 pediatric surgeries were performed as part of the fourth surgical campaign organized by the MATER Children’s Kidney Foundation in collaboration with the Aconcagua Health Service. The initiative was supported by Paltas de Chile and Fundación Alegría and brought together a team of volunteer specialists and professionals to continue making progress in reducing pediatric waiting lists.
On September 11 and 12, the MATER Children's Kidney Foundation conducted another surgical campaign at San Camilo Hospital in San Felipe, which allowed them to treat 23 pediatric patients and perform a total of 24 surgeries.
The procedure was part of the fourth surgical operation carried out by MATER in coordination with the Aconcagua Health Service, as part of the Corporation’s efforts to help reduce waiting lists for pediatric surgery.
The children receiving care were awaiting pediatric surgeries, primarily for low-complexity conditions such as phimosis, cryptorchidism, and abdominal hernias.
The operation took place over two intense days at San Camilo Hospital, which made its equipment and facilities available to accommodate the medical professionals and enable the procedures to be performed.
Before the conference began, Dr. Navor Uribe, deputy medical director of San Camilo Hospital, highlighted the importance of this new partnership with MATER and the direct impact it has on families in the area.
“We are very happy and grateful that the MATER Corporation has returned to our institution because, over the next two days, they will be performing specialized, complex, and delicate procedures on many young pediatric patients. We have made all the necessary arrangements to welcome the medical teams and ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible. We are grateful that they have chosen our institution because it helps us reduce waiting lists, which is very important for the families in our valley who benefit from this program,” he said.
A medical and compassionate team behind every surgery
To carry out the operation, a team was formed consisting of professionals from San Camilo Hospital, specialists, and volunteer doctors who worked in coordination over the course of both days.
The pediatric surgeons who participated were Dr. Mario Varela, chief of pediatric surgery; Dr. Marcela Santos; and Dr. Miguel Morales.
The team of volunteer doctors consisted of anesthesiologists Dr. Virginia Montecinos, Dr. Claudia Robin, and Dr. Gusmelly Zambrano; pediatric surgeon Dr. Nicolás Falcón; and pediatric surgery fellows Dr. Cristóbal Cabezas and Dr. Natalia Jones.
Antonia Heusser, a nurse with Corporación MATER, coordinated the operation and worked with the clinical and hospital staff to organize the events.
This new initiative was also made possible thanks to the support ofPaltas de Chile, an organization that joined forces with Corporación MATER to help reduce waiting lists for children, particularly in an area closely linked to its business operations.
Francisco Contardo Sfeir, CEO of Paltas de Chile, emphasized how meaningful it is for the organization to participate in initiatives that have a tangible impact on communities.
“For Paltas de Chile, it is a privilege to be able to contribute to such a concrete initiative as this. Today, it is San Felipe and the Aconcagua Valley—which are a fundamental part of our production history—and we believe that the development of our industry must go hand in hand with a genuine commitment to the communities where we work. That is why we support Corporación MATER, which addresses such a sensitive issue as waiting lists for pediatric surgery, and we hope to continue making progress in our other production communities,” he said.
The Alegría Foundation also joined this effort; its support helped make the operation possible and strengthened the collaborative work that MATER is promoting alongside various organizations to provide surgical solutions for children on the waiting list.
Growing Up Without Waiting
The events held in San Felipe are part of“Creciendo sin Espera,” a program of the MATER Children’s Kidney Foundation aimed at helping to reduce pediatric surgical waiting lists through coordinated efforts with hospitals, health services, volunteer professionals, and partner organizations.
The program aims to provide concrete solutions to pediatric patients who require treatment and who, in many cases, have been waiting months for a response from the public health system.
Dr. José Manuel Escala, founder of Corporación MATER, emphasized that behind the waiting-list statistics are children and families hoping for a solution that could significantly improve their quality of life.
“The waiting list is much more than just a number; it’s the story of families and children eagerly awaiting the moment when they will receive the health care they need. This initiative is concrete proof of how collaboration allows us to overcome one of the major challenges facing the health care system in Chile,” he said.
With the 24 surgeries performed on 23 patients during this latest campaign in San Felipe, MATER continues to strengthen a model based on collaboration among the public health system, volunteer specialists, companies, foundations, and organizations committed to providing a concrete solution for families who are still waiting for their children to undergo surgery.
