The Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC) has offered to serve as a mediator to overcome the crisis of the health system that is causing shortage of medicines and medical treatments.
March 26, The Ombudsman warned “On the critic deterioration of the health system in Colombia, with an alarming increase of 75.7% in complaints during the last two years.”
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From its website, he described that the main concerns are “the delays in the delivery of medicines, the lack of opportunity in specialized care and deficiencies in access to essential medical services.”
This crisis occurs in the midst of the debate of the health reform proposed by Gustavo Petro’s government, who affirmed That if it is not approved by the Senate, it will begin to promote it with decrees “according to law.”
In his communication Published on Monday, the Colombian bishops expressed concern “in the face of the signs of crisis that the health system is presenting.”
Therefore, “following the teaching of Pope Francis (…), we put ourselves at the service of the nation to facilitate listening, dialogue and collective construction of solutions for the benefit of the health of all Colombians.”
The bishops pointed out that “the way to overcome this crisis is dialogue, sincere discernment – which in the present must include the technical concept – and the coordinated action among all those responsible for guaranteeing fundamental rights”, such as health.
They recalled that it corresponds to the State “the continuous attention, review and implementation of policies that guarantee this right.” Likewise, all social actors must avoid “the temptation of corruption, of bureaucratization, to want to politicize a reality that is at the exclusive service of the common good.”
The Church “is convinced of the primacy of the gift of life, the co -responsibility in the promotion and care of health and the moral duty to speak and inform in the truth without deforming or manipulating it,” they said.
The Ombudsman said that “the situation is especially critical in regions such as southern Bolívar, southern Córdoba, Sucre, Vichada, Santander, Caldas, Valle and Nariño, where regional defenders have reported multiple deficiencies.”
Eduardo Berdejo
Professional in Social Communication of the National University of San Marcos in Peru, I have more than 20 years of experience in Catholic digital journalism. As part of ACI Press, I have been sent to cover the trips of Pope Francis to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in addition to the Synod of Sinodality in the Vatican in 2023.