By Alejandra Garcia on February 15, 2023
Colombians in the street in support of new healthcare bill
Colombian President Gustavo Petro does not seem to have forgotten his campaign promises. On Monday, after months of discussing an important health care reform, Health Minister Carolina Corcho and the Colombian leader presented a bill during a symbolic ceremony in the Plaza de Armas of the Casa de Nariño.
The long-awaited document will have to be discussed, first, in the Seventh Commission of the House of Representatives. Although it is a space where the Government has majorities, it is expected that there will be an intense debate, as has happened when other governments have tried to make health reforms.
What does this new reform say, what are the key points, and how will it benefit the people of Colombia? First of all, the project will seek to expand and build new Primary Health Care Centers (CAPS). These are basic healthcare institutions to which all citizens and families would have to register to receive this initial care, prior to seeking specialist care. The plan is to upgrade the overall healthcare of the country to include those who have not had access or been able to afford it before.
There would be one CAPS per a maximum of 20,000 people. It is proposed that almost 3,000 of these institutions will be needed, but this does not mean that all of them will have to be built. Minister Corcho has specified that existing infrastructure, both public and private, could be upgraded and used in the new system. Each center would be required to have an adequate physical electric plant and the corresponding diagnostic and therapeutic support services.
This is an important step forward, according to experts, since Colombia is marked by the current aging process with declining rates of children and youth. Moreover, Colombia is marked by a considerable increase in mortality from chronic non-communicable diseases and a high demand for care for these same conditions, because of prolonged exposure to risk factors connected to poverty and environmental conditions.
“We need more community medical support to face all the risks and challenges ahead. Integrated work is needed to promote the appropriate use of space that allows us to respond to the population’s needs in terms of housing conditions, the sufficiency of health services, and environmental balance,” commented the Minister of Health when presenting the government’s initiative.
Other important details of the bill include the Superintendent of Health being responsible for the inspection, monitoring, and control of the Health System and it will allow for the creation of a powerful National Health Council.
This council will have an essential role in the model proposed by Gustavo Petro as it will be in charge of coordinating initiatives in matters of public health policy. It will also be in charge of evaluating the functioning of the Health System and generating periodic reports on its performance.
Yesterday the people took to the streets starting at 10:00 am local time to show their popular support for this major reform. It also showed the support that Gustavo Petro is receiving for taking on the challenge of rebuilding the infrastructure and effectiveness of the national healthcare system. This is like coming out of the dark ages from the Uribe – Duque regimes that were marked by violence, corruption, and a neglect of the basic needs of the people. Those in the streets were not in protest of the government but supporting it and pushing it forward with hope and determination in the struggle that it will clearly have with the entrenched oligarchy to make this bill a reality.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – US