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Not only the government and other national institutions has gone to collect information the North Central prosecutor Marcelo Carrasco, within the framework of the criminal investigation for deaths related to Covid-19 in Chile. The persecutor has also contacted foreign organizations, specifically the World Health Organization (WHO).
On July 8, the prosecutor sent the agency’s representative in the country, Luis Fernando Leanes, an information requirement with six points, which basically sought to establish the communications that existed between the WHO and the Ministry of Health (Minsal).
Thus, Carrasco requested that the “instrument addressed to the Ministry of Health of the State of Chile containing the guidelines on how suspected, probable cases of deaths with and without diagnosed confirmation of Covid-19 should be counted and reported. In the event that modifications have been made to said instrument, it is requested to send them ”.
In addition, it required “Names and contact details of the person or institution that links the Minsal with your organization” and “Copy of all the reports of people who died during the pandemic that are periodically sent by the State of Chile”. Also, that they inform “if the Chilean authority has reported any change in methodology in its way of accounting for deaths due to Covid-19 or in its way of reporting them to the WHO.”
Leanes’ reply was sent on July 29 to the deputy director of Privileges and Immunities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Silvia Azócar, who in turn sent her to the prosecutor Carrasco.
Leanes began by stating that “PAHO / WHO is a public international organization (…), it enjoys in the territory of its member states, which includes the Republic of Chile, absolute immunity from any type of administrative and judicial action.”
Then, he pointed out that in order to collaborate and “Without this implying the waiver of privileges and immunities”, would deliver the PAHO / WHO guidelines and recommendations for national authorities on the counting of Covid cases. And attached four web links that would have been sent to the government about surveillance strategies and international guidance for the certification and classification of Covid-19 as a cause of death.
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Likewise, Leanes explained that the National Liaison Center of the Department of Epidemiology of Minsal “is the institution that acts as a liaison center with PAHO / WHO”, which should “receive at all times communications from the WHO contact points for the International Health Regulations (IHR).” And he indicated what the functions of this entity are, among them, sending urgent communications regarding the application of the regulation and disseminating information to the State, which must be updated – he says – continuously.
In this case, Leanes said that “the Minsal National Liaison Center and the PAHO / WHO RSI team have been exchanging information on Covid-19 cases in the country on a regular basis.” He added that in June, Minsal experts asked PAHO / WHO “Clarifications on the WHO recommendations regarding the report of Covid-19 cases, for which the technicians of both institutions held a meeting.”
In the end, Leanes assured that in relation to the reports of deaths during the pandemic sent to PAHO / WHO by Minsal, “Since these documents are not of a public nature and contain personal data of those affected, we respectfully suggest that you request a copy of these from Minsal.”
And although the Public Ministry sent an official letter with six questions, it received a response with only three answers.
On June 9, Carrasco asked the National Institute of Statistics (INE) the contact details of the INE official who participates as a link to the Department of Statistics and Information (Deis) of the Minsal and the Civil Registry in the statistical report carried out by the Minsal for deaths from Covid, in addition to indicating the methodology to register the deceased. On July 28, the director of the INE, Sandra Quijada, gave the names of the two liaison officers and said that the “validation and codification of (…) the causes of death of the deceased is the exclusive responsibility of (…) Deis.”
Likewise, The prosecutor asked Entel to protect the emails of Mañalich, his former chief of staff and that of the undersecretary Paula Daza, after the Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, denied his surrender for “national security.” Entel’s legal manager, Oscar Zarhi, replied on September 15 to Carrasco that “The information related to the e-mails (…) is guarded and preserved, without the possibility of third parties to our company having access or altering the integrity of that information. The official in charge of preserving and safeguarding this information will be Carlos Muñoz Betancourt, Deputy Manager of Minsal Services Management of our company ”.
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