The health sector, which is run by Minister Carolina Corcho, has remained expectant regarding the different overtones that have been given about what would be the health reform in Colombia.
In recent days, within the framework of an event developed by the University of Antioquia, the Vice Minister of Social Protection, Luis Alberto Martínez, spoke about the state of the health system in Colombia and the bases on a structural reform. In his speech, he indicated that there are still difficulties in the country regarding health management, formalization of services, improvement in access and guarantees.
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The deputy minister said that “It is necessary to advance in access to health”. Likewise, there was talk of ending the segmentation of the population according to their ability to pay, guaranteeing equal treatment and that it is essential to move from competition to cooperation between all agents, as well as the financing of health services in hospitals public, other than for the sale of services.
He mentioned the planning of health services according to needs of the population, developing a comprehensive human talent policy and improving capacities, with reform to the law of competences and resources. Nevertheless…
What do the health sectors say?
Colombian health system.
private file
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Since the EPS members of Gestarsaludwhich are 11 and belong to the subsidized regime, a concern is established, given that “the Government’s diagnosis is based on the premise that in Colombia the right to health is permanently violated because there are difficulties in accessing services, especially in geographical areas where the offer of these services is very limited”.
Likewise, the entity ensures that it is valued “very little” that citizens have an equal right to health regardless of ability to pay and can access clinics or health centers regardless of their social status.
The union indicates that, “Colombia thus faces two risks: the first, that health costs with a mainly public model increase exponentially; and, second, that the right to health is put at greater risk, especially for the poorest. That is a danger and we want to alert”.
The president of Acemi, Paula Acosta, a union that brings together 10 of the main EPS in the country, assures that the Statutory Law of Health, It is compatible with the current insurance model.
“Acemi reiterates its invitation to the Minister of Health, Carolina Corcho, to ‘continue building on what has been built’, and as a union guarantees its complete openness to dialogue for the strengthening and joint construction of the Health System”, he stated.
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Javier Cardona, general manager of 1doc3, a telemedicine and primary care platform, assured that “it is important to maintain insurance, there has been talk of removing the intermediary, but the insurance role is important. Colombia has extensive insurance coverage, and there are many access challenges in terms of opportunity, but the reality is that Colombians have coverage.”
For Cristian Vanegas, consultant in Audits and Comptrollerships in Entities in the Health sector, it is essential that it be restructured “the percentage that is given to the EPS for managing the population (…) because these monies may be better optimized, without altering their administrative operation. Reducing income from administrative expenses would help optimize processes internally”.
Finally, Paúl Rodríguez, professor of economics at URosario, said that “if a purely public system were to be implemented in light of customer service, it would lead to major changes in the structure of the system and could generate a risk strong to the actors, the EPS in the first place. By losing that role of patients, they would only be left with the networks that have integrated service provision, which would imply large losses and that would necessarily bring trauma to patients”.
Diana K. Rodriguez T.
