Raúl Barrios Ortiz
Raúl Antolín Barrios Ortiz (2 September 1908 – 21 September 1968) was a Chilean physician, surgeon, and politician who served as a minister of state during the second administration of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo.
Early life and education
Barrios was born in Ovalle, Chile, on 2 September 1908, the son of Samuel Barrios and María Ortiz. He received his primary and secondary education at the Liceo de Ovalle before studying medicine at the University of Chile. He graduated in 1934 after completing his thesis, Contribución al estudio de la astrodesis en las coxalgias. He subsequently specialised in pediatrics, phoniatrics, and laryngology.
On 22 December 1954, Barrios married Olimpia Loccoz, who was of German descent, in Santiago. He later married María Teresa Gellona.
Political career
Barrios began his medical career in Santiago, working as a specialist at the San Borja Arriarán Clinical Hospital. In 1935, he joined the Department of School Health of the Ministry of Public Health, where he served as chief physician of the Ear Service and head of the Phoniatrics Service.
He also worked as a specialist for the Chilean Air Force (FACh) within the ministry's Department of Health. In addition, he served as a director and secretary of the Federation of Hospital Physicians of Chile. In 1941, the Chilean government sent him to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to undertake further study in phoniatrics and his medical specialty.
Politically unaffiliated, Barrios was appointed Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare on 30 May 1955 during the second administration of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, serving until 4 July 1956. From 9 to 18 July 1957, he again headed the ministry, this time in an acting capacity following the resignation of Roberto Muñoz Urrutia. He had meanwhile been appointed Minister of Labour on 24 May 1956, a position he held until 3 November 1958, when Ibáñez's administration came to an end.
Barrios was a member of the Chilean Society of Otorhinolaryngology, the University Sports Club, the Automobile Club, and the Chilean Yacht Club. He died in Santiago on 21 September 1968, aged 60.