Chile has been training specialists since the 19th century, which was strengthened in the 20th century with the creation of institutions and the National Health Services System, which diversified specialties. As of November 2024, Chile has 93 specialties taught in 21 training centres.
Aim: To analyse the number and distribution of medical specialties in Chile in 2024, including characteristics by age group, sex and geographical distribution.
Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study using data on specialists registered with the Superintendence of Health in 2023 and 2024. Demographic variables, certification, speciality and region of work were analysed, using National Institute of Statistics (INE) 2023 population projections for comparison.
Results: Comparatively, the 2024 registers showed an increase of 4.40% in the number of specialist doctors and an increase of 5.83% in the number of specialties registered, given that a doctor can have more than one specialty. The analysis focused on specialties with a representation of more than 1% of the total. Of the total of 41,132 specialties as of June 2024, the main ones were General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, and Paediatrics. With regard to the proportion by sex, there were specialties with a high proportion of women, such as Paediatric and Adolescent Psychiatry (78%) and others with a high proportion of men, such as Urology (92%). The rate of specialists presents a national average of 20/10,000 inhabitants, with the regions of Ñuble, Metropolitana and Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins exceeding this average.
Conclusions: The higher proportion of women in certain areas suggests socio-cultural factors. The centralised distribution of specialists in Chile makes it difficult for the health system to respond, especially affecting remote regions. Currently, there are strategies for equitable distribution, taking into account regional needs and gender equity, which seek to guarantee timely and quality access to the whole country.