The current shortage of medicines is one of the consequences of the definancing of the sector.
According to the ANIF research team, under the direction of José Ignacio López, the health reform being processed in Congress imposes greater pressures on the Colombian health system, which already faces a financing problem with a deficit accumulated of $9.7 billion between 2021 and 2023.
Although the Ministry of Finance published a document with the projections of income and expenses of the reform until 2033, it is not a fiscal guarantee, since there are items to be estimated and the portfolio maintains that there must be a cut and redistribution of spending.
With the income and expenses mentioned by the Ministry, the health reform would entail financing needs of more than $15 billion in the next nine years. This situation would mean seeking resources in other sectors, an aspect that is not very viable given the inflexibility of spending.
Added to the above is the fact that possible structural changes that the system would undergo and that would generate pressure on its sources are not contemplated.
The current shortage of medicines is one of the consequences of the definancing of the sector that could even deepen with the health reform. Fragmentation in the provision of services and with it less access by the population to the health system are other repercussions.