Resignation of Giovanni Rubiano shakes up the panorama in the Health Superintendence

The National Superintendent of Health, Giovanni Rubiano García, presented his resignation to the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro Urregoas confirmed by the National Health Superintendence (Supersalud) through an official statement.

Rubiano had assumed the direction of Supersalud in November 2024, after the departure of Luis Carlos Leal, who led the interventions of several Health Promotion Entities (EPS). His stay was less than a year, and during his administration no new interventions were ordered. although surveillance was maintained over the entities that continue under special measures due to financial and operational problems.

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One of the most visible aspects of his administration was the rotation of auditors in the main EPS. In the case of the Nueva EPS, the entity with the largest number of members in the country, three changes of controller were made during its period, which reflected internal tensions in the control and monitoring strategy over the intervened entities.

Rubiano’s resignation coincided with a political control debate scheduled in the Seventh Commission of the House of Representatives, to which he was summoned together with the auditor of several EPS, Gloria Libia Polanía. Neither of the two officials attended. Chamber representative Andrés Forero questioned the absence and noted that “Today the country finds out that during the government of Gustavo Petro we are going to have four national superintendents of Health”.

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Forero indicated that the superintendent presented a last-minute excuse for not attending the debate, which, according to him, coincided with the request for his resignation. “Mr. Rubiano excused himself untimely, saying that he supposedly had a dental appointment. He made that excuse at 10 in the morning, when the debate was at nine, the appointment was at eight, and finally we ended up knowing that what was happening was that they had asked for his resignation letter.“said the congressman.

The representative also referred to the situation of the auditor Gloria Libia Polanía, in charge of the temporary administration of Nueva EPS, who also did not appear. “Mrs. Polanía did not want to show her face to the Chamber or the country. What happens is that if she sets foot in the Colombian Congress, she will be imprisoned,” said Forero, noting that in an official response the official had acknowledged disregarding 618 guardianship rulings and accumulating 1,402 days of arrest.

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In his speech, the congressman added that “Last week, the Police went to the EPS to enforce one of the many arrest warrants, and Mrs. Polanía made some of the officials lie and say that, supposedly, she had resigned when she had not, to evade justice.”.

Until now, The Casa de Nariño has not reported who will take over the position in the Superintendency or if Rubiano’s departure is part of a broader change within the health sector. The decision comes while the debate on health reform progresses in Congress, in a context in which the management and surveillance of the EPS continues to be one of the critical points of the system.

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DIANA K. RODRÍGUEZ T.
Portfolio Journalist