The Attorney General’s Office formulated a statement of charges against the Minister of Health, Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo Martínez, for their alleged responsibility in the shortage of medicines and medical supplies that affected the country during the year 2023.
(Read: 5.36% increase in UPC deepens health crisis and aggravates impacts on patients)
The measure is based on an investigation carried out by the Public Ministry, which determined that the senior official, who took office in March of that year, hhad omitted to implement the necessary actions to mitigate a crisis that has been warned since 2022.
According to the research findings, different medical associations had previously warned about the risk of shortages of at least 2,351 medications and medical supplies, some of them classified as essential.
(Read also: Uncertainty in the health system by UPC calculation)
Despite these warnings, the Attorney General’s Office maintains that Jaramillo did not adopt timely measures to counteract this situation, which resulted in a considerable impact on the health system and the fundamental rights of citizens.
Health
iStock
The Disciplinary Instruction Chamber of the control entity indicated that the Minister only began to implement specific strategies from November 2023, when it issued Resolution 1896 and developed an action plan to address the problem.
(See more: Acemi says that the quality of health services requires a well-adjusted UPC)
These measures were adopted after the Administrative Court of Cundinamarca issued, on October 30 of the same year, a judicial order as a result of a popular action promoted by the Attorney General’s Office and various medical associations. The car emphasizes that Compliance with these actions should have been carried out in advance and proactively, without the need for an external order..
The document issued by the Attorney General’s Office states that “Dr. Jaramillo Martínez only planned and executed specific actions aimed at preventing and overcoming drug shortages, through an order from a third party, when he should have done so simply by diligently and efficiently fulfilling his duties.”.
(Read: Health reform: implications of considering it a statutory law)
Medications
iStock
The charge leveled against the Minister is related to the alleged omission of his duties, conduct that, according to the control entity, would have had a negative impact on the fundamental right to health and the quality of the provision of medical services in the country. The disciplinary offense was provisionally classified as serious, committed as a result of serious negligence, which reflects the seriousness of the implications of the case.
(See also: We need spaces where health system actors have a voice’: Abbvie)
