"Growing up without waiting": 30 children benefited in new surgical operation in the O'Higgins region

Our initiative "Growing without Waiting" continues to expand its impact in Chile with a new surgical operation performed in the O'Higgins Region. Thanks to the collaboration between MATER, the O'Higgins Health Service and the medical societies: Chilean Society of Pediatric Surgery and Society of Anesthesiology of Chile, approximately 30 pediatric surgeries of low complexity were performed at the Santa Cruz Hospital, benefiting children on the waiting list for pathologies such as phimosis, abdominal hernias and cryptorchidism.

Surgical Operation in Santa Cruz: Commitment to Children's Health

This is the fifth "Growing Without Waiting" operation in the region, which aims to reduce waiting lists and guarantee timely care for the children who need it most. The operation took place on April 11 and 12 and was carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by doctors Cristián Cavalla and José Antonio Pérez, together with volunteers and specialists in children's surgery and anesthesiology.

The Importance of Public-Private Collaboration in Children's Health

"The joint work between the public and private sectors has been key to provide timely care to children and families who were waiting too long for surgery," says Dr. José Manuel Escala, founder and president of MATER. "This program not only improves the health of patients, but also strengthens the child care networks in Chile, achieving concrete results in a short time."

Expansion of the Initiative in 2024 and 2025

During 2024, "Creciendo sin Espera" benefited more than 250 children in cities such as Rancagua, Ancud, Quellón, Castro and San Felipe. So far in 2025, operations have already been carried out in different localities, making Santa Cruz the ninth city to receive this specialized care so far this year.

A Future with More Opportunities for Children in Chile

With this new operation in Santa Cruz, the initiative continues to advance its mission to transform the reality of Chilean families, ensuring access to timely and decisive surgical interventions. MATER Corporation reaffirms its commitment to build a fairer and more equitable health system for all children in the country.

Dr. José Manuel Escala is the founder and president of Corporación Mater. As the organization marks its 30th anniversary, we sat down with him to discuss its origins, its major achievements, and the need to carry this work forward—a conversation in which he also acknowledges and thanks those who have played a vital role along the way.

For the past four years, Constanza Olivares has been the coordinator of highly complex surgical operations carried out by the MATER Corporation throughout Chile. A nurse and midwife by profession, she speaks of her work with conviction and gratitude: "The Corporation has allowed me to develop not only professionally, but also to provide more care to patients. And that, for me, is tremendously satisfying."

Anesthesiologist Virginia Montecinos has just completed ten operations as a volunteer at Corporación Mater. This number speaks to her perseverance, but above all, her conviction. We spoke with her to find out what motivated her to join, what she has learned along the way, and why, in her opinion, volunteering not only transforms the lives of children and their families, but also those who participate in it.

The catalog, designed by artist Angelito Peñaranda, invites companies to give meaningful gifts that support the health of children awaiting medical care in Chile.

We worked hard throughout 2025 to reduce waiting times for children throughout Chile, providing them with adequate, high-quality healthcare.

The work of volunteer doctors is at the heart of Corporación MATER, because it allows us to fulfill our purpose of providing timely, quality healthcare, shortening the wait times for hundreds of children throughout Chile, as well as demonstrating the impact that collaboration can achieve.

"Growing up without waiting": 30 children benefited in new surgical operation in the O'Higgins region

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