According to the former ministers, the situation is very critical for patients whose treatments were interrupted.
The interdisciplinary group of experts from the health sector, of which former ministers and former vice ministers of health at the national level are part, affirmed that 2024 ends with a system in crisis, showing that Thousands of patients have lost their treatments, those they received periodically and in a timely manner.; where the most affected are those who suffer from chronic or orphan diseases.
They stated that the Requests, Complaints and Claims (PQRS) that are added to the guardianships, They grew by more than 30% and 40% when compared to 2023.
“The opportunity to access health services is delayed day by day for users and patients. More than 1,200 IPS closed in 2024 due to this lack of financial resources. More than 3,000 medical services permanently closed and more than 8,000 temporarily, for the same reason, it is worrying,” they indicated.
At the same time, they pointed out that There are currently eight EPSs intervened by the National Health Superintendency and one more under special surveillance, which demonstrates a systemic financial problem and not a simple administrative challenge.
“Their capital losses total more than -7.5 billion pesos without counting the balance sheets of the New EPS. The definancing of the Capitation Payment Unit (UPC) and the maximum budget lead to a deficit by the end of the year, greater than 5.5 billion pesos,” they explained.
They pointed out that while this is happening, the National Government, headed by the Minister of Health, Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo(who seems to be in transit to electoral politics) uses the threat; denies and distorts the reality of the health system.
“We see that he also evades the responsibility he has in the face of this crisis that foresees the collapse of the health sector. Same behavior has with the history of the last 30 years of the system that simply “he doesn’t like it” and that’s why he wants to change, despite the fact that the Ministry of Health’s own latest survey showed in 2022 that only 8 percent of the population considered it bad or very bad,” he said.
The former ministers stated that, in addition, during this time in which they have expressed the main health problems, the National Government is unaware of the achievements that the health sector has had.
“It does not accept that constitutionally inalienable health insurance coverage grew in 30 years – since 1992 – from 23 to practically 100 percent of the population; while Public financing was increased from 2.6 to 5.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). With this, a common fund was created based on solidarity and efficiency, materialized through the UPC, which has allowed the aforementioned expansion of coverage”they stated.
They said that they also do not accept the substantial increase in access to health services such that it has grown from one consultation per citizen per year – which the entire health system carried out in 1992 -, to more than 4.5 consultations per citizen per year that were carried out in 2022, from which millions of procedures, interventions and treatments emerge.
“This within the framework of a 56 percent increase in the population that inhabited Colombia in 1992. Furthermore, Health benefit plans were equalized for people affiliated with the contributory and subsidized regimes, which brought greater equality and equity in the country,” they said.
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They stressed that the achievements are in danger due to the decisions that this Government has made from the Ministry of Health. “Advances in the effective enjoyment of the right to health are at real risk,” he said.
They pointed out that “none of what was achieved in these 30 years was obtained with the rhetoric of ideologized speeches and grandiose declarations. The well-being and health of the population are achieved with constant work and through the materialization of their rights enshrined in the Constitution, For which it is necessary to respect its principles and support decisions with technical evidence, relevant regulation and effective execution.In the last two years the Ministry has been unable to act in this way,” they said.
They assured that unfortunately The National Government has considered that with the intervention and transformation of the agents that manage health demand of the population, would improve a challenge that fundamentally corresponds to the offer of services.
“A gross mistake that has led to a worsening of the indicators of access to the provision of services and to the crisis that we Colombians are suffering today. If we continue along this route, the deterioration of the health system will deepen in the year 2025,” they pointed out.
The document was signed by former ministers Jaime Arias, Augusto Galán, Alejandro Gaviria, Diego Palacio, Gabriel Riveros, Mauricio Santamaria, Beatriz, Londoño and Fernando Ruiz.
