The Regional Comptroller of Ñuidade has uncovered significant irregularities within the Ñuble Health Service, including illegal bonus payments and a conflict of interest involving the agency's top leadership, according to biobiochile.cl.
An official report released on April 7 reveals that the current director participated in updating the job profile for the very position she was seeking while serving as acting director. While the Comptroller could not prove she used privileged information, the agency confirmed she failed to recuse herself from the process.
The investigation has triggered an administrative inquiry to determine the responsibilities of those involved. The report also found that the official appointed a close collaborator to represent the health service before the Civil Service commission during the selection process for the new director.
This representative also failed to recuse himself from the selection committee, a move the Comptroller identified as a violation of the principle of administrative probity.
Improper bonus schemes
The audit also identified financial discrepancies regarding 'critical function' bonuses paid between 2021 and 2025. The health service paid these bonuses to more employees than the law allows, including 12 extra people in 2024 alone, according to the report.
To avoid exceeding the monthly budget limit set by the Budget Law, officials allegedly used a rotating payment system. They paid the bonus to certain employees every other month, but at double the authorized monthly rate. This allowed the agency to increase the total number of beneficiaries without exceeding the monthly cap, though it bypassed the annual and maximum beneficiary limits.
Furthermore, the Comptroller identified three individuals receiving these bonuses while simultaneously performing paid work for third parties. Such arrangements are prohibited because the bonus requires exclusive dedication to the health service. Auditors confirmed this by cross-referencing health service payroll with data from the Internal Revenue Service, identifying approximately two million pesos in irregular payments.
The Ñuble Health Service has 30 business days to prove that the misused funds have been returned and to regularize all identified discrepancies.
A spokesperson for the Ñuble Health Service told Radio Bío Bío that the institution is currently in the 'technical analysis stage' of the report.
Regarding the director's appointment, the agency stated, 'it is important to specify that this is a position filled through the High Public Management System, a mechanism established by law, which is public, transparent, and based on merit.'
Officials clarified that the institution does not define the job profile or select candidates, but instead 'limits itself exclusively to providing technical context information such as the characteristics of the healthcare network and the social and epidemiological profile of the region.'
They added that the report did not find evidence of the use of privileged information. Regarding the critical function bonuses, the agency noted that 'the observations relate to the method of granting them, but in no case does it imply a misuse of fiscal resources.'
