A debate that divides opinions in Congress
The health panorama in Colombia is at the center of an intense debate, which highlights the growing monopoly of the State in the sector of Health Promotion Entities (EPS). With alarming figures revealed by political representatives, attention is focused on the implications of this concentration of power in government hands.
According to Andrés Forero, representative of the Democratic Center and one of the most vehement critics of the health reform in Congress, the State has consolidated its position as the largest provider of health services in the country. With a staggering total of 25,109,405 users, the government controls a significant portion of access to healthcare. This vast number of users includes 11,294,814 affiliates of the state-run Nueva EPS, which highlights the expansion of the public sector to the detriment of private EPSs.
For his part, Senator Honorio Henríquez, also from the Democratic Center, revealed on his social networks that after the session of the Seventh Commission of Congress, in which the negative vote of nine senators on the health reform was ratified, it was taken the decision to intervene in the EPS Sanitas. This intervention, which was confirmed with the visit of officials to the entity’s facilities in Bogotá, adds a new chapter to the controversy surrounding government control over the EPS.
The intervention of Sanitas, one of the most important private EPS in the country, raises questions about the role of the State in health management. Is this a necessary measure to guarantee the quality and accessibility of medical care for all Colombians? Or does it represent an excessive concentration of power in the hands of the government?
This latest development fuels concerns about possible monopolization of the health system by the State, which could have significant repercussions on care and access to medical services for millions of Colombians. Meanwhile, the debate on health reform continues to divide opinions in Congress and in society in general, with voices advocating both state intervention and the preservation of competition in the EPS sector.