2023-05-24 00:19:49
After several weeks and long hours of discussion, the controversial health reform presented by the government of Gustavo Petro was finally approved. Although several modifications were made during the process, several of the issues proposed from the beginning by the former Minister of Health Carolina Corcho managed to get ahead.
For example, the creation of the funds, which will be in charge of the Adres, was approved, and for many congressmen it will be an open contract that might generate more bureaucracy and acts of corruption. In addition, they warn that there might be a depletion of resources and that the country repeats the Social Security model.
Finally, it was approved that the EPS will be health and life managers. For some, this is gradually ending the health providers as they are currently known and several of their functions will become the State’s.
Primary care centers, which is the focus of this project, were approved. Although it is mentioned that they may be mixed, public or private, the opposition congressmen consider that they will be mostly public and that generates several alerts.
There is concern that patients with orphan diseases are put at risk. “They are people who today generally have good treatments and this is being put at risk,” said representative Andrés Forero, of the Democratic Center, one of those who most criticized the project and its process.
This Tuesday, May 23, the last debate was held where several of the missing articles were approved. Among them, some of the extraordinary powers that President Gustavo Petro will have, one of them related to the New EPS.
Likewise, thanks to an agreement with the Minister of Health Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo and the representative Víctor Manuel Salcedo articles 36, 59, 70, 71, 72, 74, 79, 80 and 81 were eliminated.
Likewise, 14 new articles were approved that were voted on en bloc.
Now, the bill will go to the second debate in the House of Representatives. Although times are not in favor of the initiative, it may be approved in that corporation and the other semester continue its process in the Senate. In that way it might undergo several modifications.
This is the minute by minute of the debate on May 23:
7:18 p. m.: Health Minister Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo thanks the Commission and all congressmen, including those from the opposition.
7:15 p. m.: approved health reform in the Seventh Chamber Commission with 14 votes yes and 6 no.
7:12 p. m.: Despite his party’s decision to vote negatively on the project, representative Alexánder Quevedo also celebrated the approval of this project. He said that he believes that it will improve the health system, especially in “deep Colombia”.
7:11 p.m.: Congresswoman María Eugenia Lopera aligned herself with the Government’s project. She celebrated that the project is regarding to be approved. She was the one who tipped the balance in favor of petrism when she voted in favor of the paper.
7:00 p. m.: the health reform is regarding to be approved. Some new articles presented by the congressmen to make modifications will be processed as records for the plenary.
6:58 p. m.: approved the block of 14 new articles.
6:24 p. m.: new articles are discussed. The representative Alfredo Mongradón explains and defends them. They are related to caring mothers, the Adres, among others.
6:13 p. m.: approved article 139 with 14 votes yes and 6 no.
6:10 p. m.: the representative Víctor Manuel Salcedo, of the U Party, presented a proposal to eliminate articles 36, 59, 70, 71, 72, 74, 79, 80 and 81. That block of articles was eliminated by the majorities.
5:43 p. m.: Article 82 is discussed with an amending proposal. Approved with 14 votes yes and 6 no.
5:14 p. m.: Article 100 of the initiative is discussed with some propositions. It was approved with 14 yes votes and 6 no.
5:11 p. m.: Article 133 of the health reform project is put to the vote. With 14 votes for yes and 6 for no. It was aproved.
5:07 p. m.: Article 132 was approved with 14 votes yes and 6 no.
4:53 p. m.: Article 5 is put to the vote with an amending proposal. It was approved with 12 votes in favor and 7 once morest.
4:50 p.m.: Betsy Pérez, representative of Cambio Radical, was once morest the initiative. She said that what the Government proposes will not be achieved because the indicators reflect another reality, especially in the territories. “One can speak very nicely from the intention,” she said.
4:39 p. m.: The representative Andrés Forero says that he does not believe that the Government can comply with what it is proposing because that was evidenced in the Gustavo Petro mayor’s office in Bogotá.
4:25 p. m.: the representative Víctor Manuel Salcedo complained because the administration of the public network in the hands of territorial entities “is not the best”, he assured.
4:02 p. m.: Minister Jaramillo says that ten articles will be eliminated, following an agreement with the congressmen. “We withdrew 10 articles to be able to advance, we have given in in those situations, the middle ground is being sought, no one can say that it is being nationalized, it is not the model of Cuba or of any country, with all the respect that my friend the Dr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez, I governed with him as governor and him as president,” said the Minister of Health.
The minister insisted that the project that was initially presented by former Health Minister Carolina Corcho is not the same and that they have accepted modifications.
3:55 p. m.: The Minister of Health Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo intervenes defending the reform. He says that resources will be given to the departments and not to the municipalities, as the opposition claims.
3:41 p.m.: approved article 24 with 14 votes yes and 5 no and with proposals presented.
3:34 p .m.: Denied proposition of Article 24 presented by representative Juan Felipe Corzo, of the Democratic Center, with 14 votes for no and 2 for yes.
3:20 p. m.: Article 124 was approved with 14 votes yes and 4 no.
2:58 p. m.: Article 122 of the project is put to a vote. It speaks of the professional autonomy that health personnel will have for the exercise of their profession. It includes self-regulation and professionalism, such as codes of ethics and regulatory committees. With 14 votes yes and 4 no, it was approved.
2:57 p.m.: The representative Alfredo Mondragón, of the Historical Pact, says that the professionalism and capacity of doctors must be recognized and that with the reform this would be achieved.
2:47 p. m. article 123 will be voted with amending proposal. The article has to do with the decisions of health professionals in the midst of medical procedures. It was approved with the modification with 18 yes votes and 0 for no. The alert had been generated because legal responsibilities might be transferred to doctors. Removed some of the language that said patients or their representatives might request a medical board to discuss a particular case.
2:38 p. m.: approved reopening of the discussion of article 123. Modifying proposal of the article, related to the medical act, was read.
2:35 p. m.: some congressmen ask that the discussion of article 126 be opened, which has already been approved but which some consider inconvenient. The proposal was made by representative Víctor Salcedo following professional associations warned of risks on this point.
2:26 p. m.: the representative Andrés Forero was once morest article 35 that establishes how the CAPS will work in the new health model. Approved with 14 votes yes and 4 no.
2:21 p. m.: The Minister of Health Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo responded to the representative Andrés Forero, of the Democratic Center, that a right to petition that was presented was answered.
2:19 p. m.: Article 4 was approved with 13 votes yes and 4 no. It contemplates the definitions of the new health model that establishes primary care and universal health.
2:03 p. m.: the proposal of representative Rozo is voted on once more. It was denied with 9 votes for no and 8 for yes.
1:59 p. m.: The president of the Chamber David Racero, from the Historical Pact, arrived at the commission.
1:55 p. m.: the proposition of article 4 is voted on. The vote on the proposition must be repeated because there are 9 votes for yes and 9 votes for no.
1:43 p. m.: the congressmen discuss article 4 presented by the representative Germán Rozo of the Liberal Party. Some parliamentarians are once morest affecting the fundamental health rights of Colombians.
1:16 p. m.: Article 4 with proposals will be put to the vote.
1:15 p. m. approved article 46 with modifications with 14 votes yes and 3 no.
1:04 p. m.: The discussion of article 46 opens and the proposal for the elimination of the representative Andrés Forero of the Democratic Center will be put to the vote. Denied with 13 votes for no and 4 for yes.
12:43 p. m.: the proposal was supported.
12:39 p. m. Salcedo’s proposal will be put to the vote, despite the fact that it was previously announced that it had been accepted.
12:34 p. m.: Salcedo’s proposal was accepted and the articles that remain to be discussed will be voted on individually, announced the president of the Seventh Commission of the Chamber, Agmeth Escaf.
12:23 p. m.: Salcedo presented a proposal to reopen article 123 that has already been approved because they consider that the medical associations are right that it is not convenient.
12:17 p.m: the representative Víctor Manuel Salcedo, of the U Party, asks to vote on the remaining 22 articles, plus the 13 new ones, individually. “I announce that the Partido de la U will present a proposal to eliminate the extraordinary powers of the president and the articles of the territorial funds that are under discussion,” said Salcedo, who considers that this creates a bureaucratic risk for health resources.
12:12 p. m.: Representative Gerardo Yepes announces that he has to be absent from the session because the Conservative Party summoned a party bench.
12:09 p. m.: Start the debate with the roll call by the board of directors. There is qourom to log in and decide.
11:50 a. m.: Agmeth Escaf, president of the Seventh Commission of the House of Representatives, announced the start of the session, but technical difficulties in the transmission stopped the process. The congressmen are present and waiting.
11:10 a. m.: The debate hasn’t started yet. The appointment was made at 9 am and, following an hour’s delay, the board of directors announced that it was postponed to 11 am. The representative Andrés Forero, of the Democratic Center, denounces that it is a “little game” by Agmeth Escaf, president of the Seventh Commission, to guarantee the necessary votes for those articles that must be approved by an absolute majority.
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