Colombia is facing a mounting healthcare crisis that experts warn could push the system to the brink of collapse. Years of structural problems, financial instability, and political tensions have culminated in what many are calling one of the most precarious moments for public health in recent history.
Hospitals across the country are reporting severe shortages in essential medications, supplies, and staff payments. Clinics in both rural and urban areas are overwhelmed, struggling to deliver basic services. Emergency rooms remain overcrowded while wait times for surgeries and specialists care stretch into months.
The crisis intensified in early 2024, when the government delayed payments to healthcare providers (EPS and IPS) under the subsidized health regime. This, coupled with a drop in reimbursement rates and growing debt from the national government to providers, has left many institutions unable to operate at full capacity. Several hospitals in regions like La Guajira, Chocho, and even Bogota have warned of imminent service suspensions.
At the heart of the crisis lies a bitter political battle. President Gustavo Petro’s administration has attempted to push forward a comprehensive health reform, aimed at reducing the role of private intermediaries (EPS) and strengthen public health infrastructure. Critics argue the initiative lacks financial clarity and risks dismantling key components of the existing model without viable replacements.
Colombia’s healthcare system may collapse, warn medical staff
As of today, Colombia’s healthcare reality is deteriorating, with the system facing challenges never seen before. This time, the National Health Superintendency (Supersalud) has issued a direct and urgent call to the country’s Health Promoting Entities (EPS) to strengthen their auditing and oversight systems. The move is part of a broader strategy aimed at averting a potential financial collapse across key players in Colombia’s healthcare sector.
The announcement followed a technical roundtable that brought together representatives from 27 active EPS companies. During the meeting, convened by Supersalud, officials tackled several critical issued including persistent flaws in service billing, unequal access to medical technologies, and ongoing difficulties in providing adequate care for patients with chronic and high-cost conditions.
A key focus of the agency’s message was the urgent need to improve accounting practices within the EPS. Supersalud stresses that only services that have actually been provided should be billed, underscoring the importance of better internal auditing to ensure financial transparency. The aim is to curb inefficiencies and prevent public funds from being drained on procedures that were never performed or lack medical justification.
Supersalud has also clarified that its administrative intervention in EPS operations in Colombia is not intended to shut them down, but rather to manage them in a way that endures their continued viability. The agency emphasized that the goal is to maintain uninterrupted care for millions of users while implementing internal reforms designed to prevent financial collapse.
EPS and the pharmaceutical industry at a crossroads over patient care
Amid the ongoing crisis, the standoff between EPS providers and the pharmaceutical industry has made it increasingly difficult to meet the needs of patients in Colombia, especially those requiring high-cost treatments or living with chronic conditions.
As part of the proposed solutions to the healthcare crisis, officials also discussed the possibility of establishing joint negotiation mechanisms between EPS providers and the pharmaceutical industry. The idea behind the initiative is to streamline the purchasing of medications and medical technologies, improve cost-efficiency, and ensure a more strategic use of the healthcare system’s limited resources.
Such model could mark a significant shift in how Colombia manages it pharmaceutical spending. By leveraging collective bargaining power, EPS entities could negotiate better prices, reduce redundancies, and avoid inflated costs, particularly for specialty medications and high-cost treatments that currently put enormous pressure on the system. In theory, this would not only bring financial relief but also pave the way for a more equitable and transparent drug procurement process.
Advocates of the joint negotiation approach argue that it could improve access to innovative therapies, especially for patients suffering from complex or chronic illnesses such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, and rare diseases. These conditions often require long-term, highly specialized care that many EPS unfortunately currently struggle to afford.
However, the success of this proposal hinges on trust, coordination, and a clear regulatory framework. It is important to highlight that past attempts at collective bargaining in Colombia’s healthcare sector have been marred by administrative fragmentation and competing interests among public and private sectors.
At this point, experts caution that without immediate structural and financial reforms, including solutions like joint pharmaceutical negotiations, the system could edge even closer to a full-scale collapse, with vulnerable populations bearing the brunt of the consequences.
Whether or not the health of Colombians’ remains at risk will depend largely on how rigorously and responsibly the country’s EPS manage both their financial operations and patient care services.