Through the social network TikTok Fernando Ruiz, former Minister of Health, uploaded a publication in which he explained what, according to his criteria, would be the consequences that the health system would suffer in the event that the reform that would be debated in March 2023 will be approved
With the platform’s characteristic format, the former official posed in very casual attire, far from formal clothing as Ruiz was used to seeing. In addition, he went to features such as music and text in the video. There he described the health reform that was presented by Carolina Corcho in Congress as a “monster”.
This pronouncement by Fernando Ruiz would be in response to and questioning the videos that the president of the Seventh Committee of the House of Representatives, Agmeth Escaf, would have released, who has also published a series of explanatory videos in which he highlights the most important and positive aspects , according to him, on the health reform initiative.
“Did you know that the EPS earn more money when they don’t do their job? The EPS work like an insurer, yes, just like when you pay for your car or motorcycle insurance. Whether you crash or not, the same, you have to pay ”.
Faced with this statement observed by the former Minister of Health, Ruiz, declared in his video that:
“Representative, of every 100 pesos that the Government gave to the EPS last year to cover the health of Colombians, 94 pesos were spent paying for health care.”
Later, the president pointed out that: “Whether you get sick or not, the Adres, which is the entity in charge of managing health money, transfers to the EPS the money that you are worth to the system. 1,120 thousand pesos and 1,777,000 pesos per year for each one of us”. Faced with this, Ruiz pointed out that:
“You wonder what would happen if you, God forbid, gave you cancer during that year to which you are referring. It costs between 30 and 300 million pesos a year. Who pays those 298 million that are needed to recover their health? You don’t pay them, people don’t pay them, the EPS pays them. That is the level of financial protection that we have today, Colombians, and it is what this monstrosity of health reform wants to end”.
Finally, Escaf mentions that the EPS lose when a user gets sick, since they have to invest money, while if this is not the case, the user does not access the system and thus can earn money. For his part, the former minister mentioned that:
“… you should not take a position without having had information and without having given an in-depth debate. It is what this reform needs. It is a historic responsibility for the entire Congress of the Republic, here we Colombians are risking our lives”.
Since the announcement of some key points on the health reform that have been released more closely in the first months of 2023, Fernando Ruiz has constantly questioned the initiative proposed by the national government.
On this occasion, he has criticized some points and assures that the members of the boards of directors, as well as the doctors who operate independently in the country, could suffer a large part of the consequences if the reform, as it is, manages to be approved.
In his words, he pointed out on his Twitter account that:
“Poor directors, members of boards of private clinics and independent doctors. In article 137 of the reform they were subject to disciplinary control and even ‘criminal’ for the slightest impediment or delay to services. In a model that leads to waiting lists!”.
According to the information shared by the former Minister of Health, there is article 137 of chapter XVII, which establishes the disciplinary and sanctioning regime. This section refers to the fact that there will be “criminal and disciplinary sanctions”, this would apply to people who are responsible for limiting or preventing “the enjoyment of the fundamental right to health“.
It is worth mentioning that this includes members of the boards of directors, as well as legal representatives and other managers within the institutions of the health system.
In charge of this, would be the National Court of Medical Ethics, as well as the sectional courts of medical ethics, who will determine if in these cases disciplinary or ethical processes should be followed based on the practices of those in charge of the medical area of the national territory. with Infobae