Armed groups prevent doctors from entering rural areas.
Courtesy. Health authorities
The complex humanitarian and public order crisis in Catatumbo has intensified, generating serious effects on the civilian population.
Recent reports indicate that the confrontation between armed actors is developing without apparent control or hierarchy, which keeps the inhabitants of several municipalities in the area in anxiety.
Blockade of the Humanitarian Corridor
Despite urgent calls from social organizations, community leaders and the peasant community, it has not been possible to establish a humanitarian corridor that guarantee free mobility and access to medical care.
This situation has been aggravated by new reports of violence against the health mission by armed groups, who prevent the entry of personnel. doctor to rural points in several municipalities in the region.
You may be interested in: Goodbye to unfair reports! The Court stops the punishments in Datacrédito for impersonation
Complaint of Violation of IHL Juan Bittar, director of the Departmental Health Institute (IDS), has denounced that armed groups are violating International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which seriously affects the provision of essential health services.
“We have problems with the ESE Norte and the IPS because the guerrilla is preventing the transfer of patients and, in several cases, the mobilization of medical personnel, a situation quite difficult in the midst of what is happening in the area”, expressed the director of the IDS. Bittar urged the armed groups in confrontation to respect the work of doctors and nurses in conflict areas.
“I want to invite armed groups to collaborate with the medical mission, that does nothing other than help the communities, including themselves, because doctors do not see ideologies, but rather save lives,” the official added.
You may be interested in: What do the new conditions mean for surveillance dogs and their handlers in Colombia?
Threats to Health Professionals The crisis is not limited to Catatumbo. In other areas of the department, such as the municipality of Cáchira, the resignation of a health professional was announced in the last few hours due to alleged threats and pressure from armed actors.
“There are quite complex situations with the issue of the medical mission. Some professionals are filing complaints of violence and requesting to leave these areas. In the last hours, the case of a doctor who asked to leave the municipality of Cáchira and processed a protection measure due to threats was known,” explained the director of the IDS.
The Departmental Health Institute has formally requested the Ombudsman’s Office and the National Government take the urgent measures necessary to guarantee the safety and permanence of medical personnel in Catatumbo, in order to ensure continuity of care for thousands of patients in the area.
Source: Integrated Information System
