:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/TKRDESB5RJBFFJIHUKHBIF2FWI.jpg "President Petro interviewed patients who marched against health reform 1")
On the afternoon of Friday March 3, several marches took place in Colombian Caribbean cities against health reform. Movement Colombian patients He was in charge of promoting and organizing the events.
During the call, patients who are part of the movement assured that they agree with a reform, but not as proposed by the national government.
“Reform yes, but not like that”, was the slogan during Friday’s protests in cities like Cartagena, Sincelejo, Montería, Barranquilla and Santa Marta.
Faced with complaints from Colombian patients, President Gustavo Petro spoke. The high president questioned the protesters’ demands and assured that it is one of the regions of the country where a health system like the one proposed by his government is most needed.
“The Caribbean is one of the regions where the preventive and primary health care system is most needed. What bothers you about being able to bring doctors, nurses and vaccines to all Colombians?“wrote President Petro on his Twitter account.
It should be noted that hundreds of people who disagreed with the health reform project took part in the marches. On social networks, some Internet users, who see the problem from the point of view of those who complain, have written to Petro.
“Mr. President, preventive health is one of the pillars of the reform to be highlighted, however there are many other aspects that would take us back 30 years. Today @Pacientesco made a call for #ReformSíPeroNoLís, listen to them and the experts. We are on time,” read one of the comments on the social network.
The Patients Colombia movement has called for new marches against Petro’s health reform, but this time in Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Popayan. These will take place on Thursday 9 March in the morning.
“Pacientes Colombia, a social movement made up of 195 patient organizations from all over the country, calls on users of the health system and the general public to mobilize in favor of a reform that does not jeopardize the rights we already have. acquired in so many years and builds on what has been built,” reads a statement released by the movement.
Their reasons for protesting are based on four specific points. According to them, here are their motivations:
- Government reform destroys the health care system we have and puts the most vulnerable populations at risk.
- The reform does not improve the timeliness and quality of care.
- Corruption will take over the health system and health resources could be politicized.
- We demand the accumulation of reform projects in Congress.
It was recently reported in the national media that the Minister of Health, Carolina Corcho, allegedly insinuated that the marches are promoted by the EPS, one of the main players in the reform project.
But it was not the most serious, according to Última Hora Caracol, the portfolio manager He mentioned the payments for people to go to the mobilizations.
Corcho’s decache would have occurred during an event that revolves precisely around the reform and which is held in Barranquilla. There, apparently, a microphone was left on and what the minister said was accidentally overheard.
“Those who paid for the EPS, the march, have already left. They barely paid for an hour,” Corcho reportedly said, as quoted by the outlet in question.
Given Corcho’s alleged accusations, a representative of Pacientes Colombia came out to deny alleged EPS support to carry out the marches. “Dr Corcho I think you have known us for many years, we are not the errand boys or the EPS and the national government, we are a society with the ability to say what we do and what we don’t don’t do.”