The government of President Gustavo Petro will make a new attempt with his health reform. On this occasion, according to him, the bill will have an urgent message. However, several political sectors maintain that it is inconvenient, especially considering that there are only two months left until the end of the legislative period and the pension reform is still being discussed.
In the space of , congressmen Andrés Forero, Duvalier Sánchez and Heráclito Landínez referred to the government's new attempt to reform health care in the country.
Representative Duvalier Sánchez considered that the country does need to discuss a health reform and improve the deficiencies that the system has. For example, he mentioned the existing barriers to accessing effective health programs and the excess of bureaucratic procedures.
“What the EPS are interested in is delaying attention in the service, this has been demonstrated in different studies. We must resolve job insecurity (…), and rampant politicking and clientelism in all the EPS and public hospitals in this country,” said the congressman.
Then, he continued referring to the levels of corruption: “what has happened is that the regional gamonales, such as in Valle del Cauca, where the governor Dilian Francisca Toro is, who in different investigations ends up related or with threads of power against huge hirings around the health business. And who are the ones who have opposed it the most and end up presenting themselves as her heroes? Well, her senators themselves.
Along these lines, Sánchez agreed that a health reform be discussed “without the politicking of those who believe they are truly interested in a better health system.” “That is false, they are interested in the current one to take care of their business,” he added.
During the debate, Duvalier Sánchez clashed strongly with fellow representative Andrés Forero and attacked his party: “The Democratic Center has no morals, it does not have blood coming to its face to demand that Congress that we cannot debate government projectswhen on December 2, 2006, former President Uribe asks congressmen that while they are not in jail, they please vote for the tax reform.”
“If you felt targeted, that's your problem. I didn't mention you,” Duvalier responded, noting that he had initially referred to the La U Party. “The EPS financed congressmen and political parties, and now they are defending those interests”insisted the representative of Alianza Verde.
“You said that all of us who defended or were against the government's health reform project were basically defending interests. But I say no, I don't care. The EPS negotiated with the government behind closed doors and I do not agree with that text, because it is favoring the EPS,” Forero replied.
In turn, representative Heráclito Landínez agreed with Duvalier Sánchez in the sense that, currently, “there are more lawyers acting before judges to guarantee the right to health than the health system itself. That is to say, lawyers are acting more than doctors in the system.”
In second instance, He questioned how it was possible that, with health resources, campaigns of political parties that have seats in the Congress of the Republic had been financed.
“That is why we have to make a reform. How is it possible that Congress does not want to debate the projects presented by the government? (…). We congressmen have to be responsible with our functions and our constitutional powers,” Landínez concluded in the space of
