Enrique Paris

Oscar Enrique Paris Mancilla (born 3 September 1948) is a Chilean physician and politician who served as Minister of Health.

Biography

Born and raised in Puerto Montt, he is the fourth child of Enrique Paris Maldonado, a volunteer firefighter with Bomberos de Chile, and Carmen Mancilla Elgueta, a pharmaceutical chemist by profession. His siblings are Carmen Luz (early childhood educator), Ximena (physician), and Jaime (architect).

His parents were members of the Christian Democratic Party and owned the “Farmacia Angelmó” and “Farmacia Chile,” both located in Puerto Montt. In that same commune, his father served as campaign chief for Eduardo Frei Montalva in the 1964 Chilean presidential election.

During his medical studies, he also participated in theater and sports activities. He was a member of a folk music group formed by classmates, Los del San Javier, during the era of Los Cuatro Cuartos.

Before beginning university, he reportedly expressed to friends that, if he did not study medicine, he would become a Jesuit missionary. In 1965, he ran for president of his school’s student council, losing the election.

Professional career

Between 1969 and 1970, he studied pathological anatomy under Helmar Rosenberg at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Years later, in December 2009, Rosenberg was charged in connection with the investigation into the death of Eduardo Frei Montalva.

In 1991, while working at Hospital Sótero del Río, he met a child who frequently required medical attention. He later assumed responsibility for the child’s care and, on 21 December 1994, formalized the adoption at the Civil Registry in Providencia.