International

Colombia’s health reform approved in first debate

Photo: @CamaraColombia

May 24 |

The Seventh Commission of the Colombian House of Representatives, approved on Tuesday in a first debate the health reform proposed by the Government of Gustavo Petro.

After more than eight hours of debate, with 14 votes in favor and 6 against, the committee decided to approve the health reform bill.

To become law, the initiative will have to go through three more debates: one in the plenary session of the House of Representatives and two in the Senate.

The Colombian Ministry of Health said that the House of Representatives Committee approved a total of 143 articles that will change the country’s healthcare system.

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The Health initiative promoted by President Gustavo Petro will allow all Colombians to have a healthcare model with quality infrastructure, workers in the sector with good salary conditions and patients with comprehensive care.

“The health reform has been approved in the commission. Hard work, deep debate. Much deeper than when Law 100 was approved,” assured the Colombian head of state.

President Petro has considered the reform of the health system as one of the pillars that will mark the agenda of changes announced by his government.

The reform proposed by Petro’s government seeks to make health care a universal right and not a commodity. It also proposes a model in which the Primary Care Centers and the comprehensive and integrated networks will be made up of public, private and mixed entities.

After the approval of the parliamentary commission, the Health bill now goes to the plenary of the House of Representatives for the second debate.

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Related Topics:Seventh Commission of the Colombian House of Representatives

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