Izkia Siches facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Izkia Siches
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Siches in 2022
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| Minister of the Interior and Public Security | |
| In office 11 March 2022 – 6 September 2022 |
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| President | Gabriel Boric |
| Preceded by | Rodrigo Delgado |
| Succeeded by | Carolina Tohá |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Izkia Jasvin Siches Pastén
4 March 1986 Arica, Chile |
| Spouse | Christian Antonio Yaksic Zúñiga |
| Education | Instituto Bernardo O’Higgins de Maipú |
| Alma mater | University of Chile |
Izkia Jasvin Siches Pastén (born 4 March 1986) is a Chilean doctor and politician. In 2022, she was the Minister of Interior and Public Security for President Gabriel Boric. She was the first woman to hold this very important job in the Chilean government.
Before this, Siches was the president of the Chilean Medical College, which is a group for doctors in Chile. In 2021, she helped lead Gabriel Boric's successful campaign to become president.
Contents
Early Life and Education
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Izkia Siches was born on March 4, 1986, in Arica, a city in northern Chile. She grew up in Maipú, near Santiago. She went to high school at the Instituto Bernardo O'Higgins in Maipú.
In 2004, she started studying medicine at the University of Chile. During her time at university, she was active in student groups. She was part of the University Senate from 2010 to 2012. She also helped create a journal called Hippocampus: Where memory is stored, dreams arise.
Medical Career
After becoming a surgeon, Izkia Siches chose to specialize in internal medicine. She also began studying for a master's degree in public health. Since 2014, she has worked in the infectious diseases department at San Juan de Dios Hospital in Quinta Normal.
In 2014, Siches became the president of the Santiago branch of the Chilean Medical College. In 2017, she was chosen to lead the entire Chilean Medical College. This made her the first woman ever to be president of this important medical organization. She said that the Medical College included doctors with many different political ideas.
Role During the COVID-19 Pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile started in 2020, Izkia Siches played a big role. As president of the Medical College, she gave advice on how to control the virus. She sometimes questioned how the government was handling the crisis.
During the pandemic, many people trusted her, and her popularity grew. Some even thought she might run for president in the 2021 election. However, she felt she didn't have enough experience for that job. She later supported Gabriel Boric's presidential campaign.
In December 2020, she ran for reelection as president of the Chilean Medical College and won with more than half the votes.
In 2020, she was named "Person of the Year" by a group of international journalists in Chile. They recognized her for becoming an important public figure with high trust. In 2021, Time magazine included her on its list of 100 rising stars who are shaping the future.
Minister of the Interior
In November 2021, Izkia Siches left her role at the Chilean Medical College. She joined Gabriel Boric's presidential campaign for the second round of the election, which he won. Many experts believed she was a key reason Boric won, especially because of her visits to northern regions of Chile.
On March 11, 2022, President Gabriel Boric appointed Siches as the Minister of the Interior and Public Security. She was the first woman to hold this high-ranking position.
In March 2022, Siches visited Temucuicui to meet with a family. During her visit, there was a difficult situation, and she had to leave the area. A local leader later said that the visit did not follow traditional customs.
In April 2022, Siches made a mistake when she said that the previous government was responsible for a failed deportation flight. She later apologized to the former minister, Rodrigo Delgado, for her incorrect statement. The government found that her false information came from the migration office.
On September 6, 2022, it was announced that Carolina Tohá would take over Siches' role. Before this change, polls showed that Siches had lower approval ratings compared to other government ministers.
Personal Life
Izkia Siches is married to Christian Antonio Yaksic Zúñiga. In 2021, while she was leading the Chilean Medical College, she gave birth to her daughter, Khala.
She believes in feminism, which means supporting equal rights for women. As president of the Medical College, she spoke out for women's rights and against abuse. She has also taken part in events like International Women's Day.
After leaving her government job, she returned to work at the San Juan de Dios Hospital. This was because the public health system had paid for her medical training, and she was required to work there for another year.
See also
In Spanish: Izkia Siches para niños
