Lawsuits for the protection of the right to health grew by 35% in 2024, denounces Congresswoman Jennifer Pedraza.
The healthcare crisis in Colombia is out of control, and not even the health care providers under government intervention are immune. This was reported by House Representative Jennifer Pedraza, who revealed that in 2024, 265,173 lawsuits were filed across the country requesting protection of the right to health from Health Promotion Entities (EPS).
That is, every two minutes a Colombian must file legal appeals to guarantee their access to medical procedures, medications, appointments, and other services. This frequency of filings has not been seen since 2012, according to data revealed by the congresswoman and provided by the Constitutional Court.
Jennifer Pedraza, House Representative. Photo: Jennifer Pedraza Press
“Between 2023 and 2024, guardianships increased by 35%, but the government offers no real solutions. Meanwhile, patients die waiting for procedures, and families spend money on lawyers to obtain what the system is supposed to guarantee,” Pedraza points out.
One of the points revealed by the data presented by Pedraza is that the most frequently sued EPSs are reportedly under government intervention. According to the alarming figures, collected through petitions submitted to the Constitutional Court, Nueva EPS leads the ranking, with 100,902 claims filed through writs of protection.
The main reasons why Colombians had to protect their right to health are:
- Delays in medical procedures: 30%
- Delay in delivery of medicines: 26%
- Delay in appointment scheduling: 24%
Number of guardianships per EPS intervened. Photo: X: @JenniferPedraz
“The healthcare system is in crisis, and people's lives are at risk. The government is not offering solutions, and the minister is prioritizing electoral calculations by planning a referendum on healthcare, which will not improve the situation in the short term,” Pedraza concludes.
The EPS with the most legal action claims by number of members is Savia Salud, which served 1,680,696 people by December 2024. Although it is not one of the largest EPSs, it does have a rate of 201 legal action claims per 10,000 members.
In total, seven EPSs intervened by the government accumulated 83% of the lawsuits filed in 2024, that is, 220,729, divided as follows:
- New EPS: with 100,902 guardianships
- Sap Health: 33,827
- Sanitas EPS: 33,055
- Emssanar: 18,510
- Asmet Salud: 16,500
- Famisanar: 16,306
- SOS: 1,639
Environment and Health Journalist
eltiempo
