2023-12-21 23:48:45
The manager of the General Hospital of Medellín announced in a press conference that he sent a letter to the Superintendency of Health to request urgent mediation that allows the Hospital to get out of the financial crisis that it is currently going through, according to, due to the debts that there are mainly with the EPS Savia Salud.
According to the Hospital’s accounts, the delinquent portfolio is currently around $260,000 million, of which almost $80,000 million correspond to liquidated EPS and the rest to entities that do not comply with all the collection accounts sent.
The manager of the General Hospital of Medellín has just filed a request asking for the urgent intervention of SuperSalud @Supersaluddue to the critical financial situation that the medical entity is going through. pic.twitter.com/7OeSIGo16i
— Denuncias Antioquia (@DenunciasAntio2)
December 21, 2023
Manager Mario Fernando Córdoba explained that the HGM requires regarding $26,000 million monthly for its normal operation. But revenues are barely around $14 billion.
“To date, nearly a hundred suppliers have closed or restricted the supply of supplies and medications, causing serious damage or cancellations in care and administrative procedures (…) Of every 100 patients who enter the institution, 95 are from the subsidized regime of the departments of Chocó, Antioquia and Caldas. Who is going to care for them if they have high-cost pathologies? Today our beds are full,” said Córdoba.
In the letter, addressed to the financial superintendent Ulahy Beltrán López, Córdoba once once more warned of the debt that Savia Salud has with the entity and which according to its calculations amounts to $87,354 million. The remaining $180,000 million are concentrated in debts with entities that do not pay enough of their payment commitments. For example, in the General’s accounts it appears that Coomeva owes almost $25,000 million; the Mutual Company for the Comprehensive Development of Health, $15,000 million; the department of Antioquia, $9,000 million; Adres, $8,000 million, as well as 24 other EPS, several of them liquidated.
In the second point of the letter that Córdoba sent to Beltrán, he implied that the undue delay in payments is a consequence of the State—which intervened in Savia Salud—is exercising dilatory practices with health resources, having serious consequences in the cash flow and affecting the operation of the hospital and therefore the users.
Well, for the manager, until last May, before the EPS Savia Salud was intervened by the National Government, the General received payment of regarding $20,000 million and a constant cash flow with which the institution was financed.
“If the EPS are not paying what corresponds to them because they have a deficit or because the UPC is not enough, it will have to be the National Government that comes in to solve this very delicate situation,” the manager told El Tiempo.
Despite the large debt with the General, the manager assured that the Hospital is not in deficit as its worker unions have been warning, since for him, the HGM has assets of $500,000 million and an equity of $400,000 million.
Córdoba pointed out that, currently, the Hospital owes $1,986 million to 182 specialists and subspecialists for October invoices that are expected to be settled in the coming days with a transfer from Savia Salud. In addition, Córdoba expressed that payments to HGM workers are up to date, but they still need the resources to pay suppliers and the December 30 payroll.
Finally, regarding the closure of some services, the manager admitted that the institution is reducing the offer in pediatrics, ICU and basic hospitalization, but that said cut is only 5%.
Specialists confronted the manager
The contracting specialists of the General Hospital – 150 specialist and subspecialist doctors, more than 80% of the institution’s specialist doctors – expressed their disagreement with Córdoba’s statements. “It is evident that for Mr. Córdoba, being ‘in peace and safety’ with the institution’s payroll employees is enough and, therefore, the HGM specialists are not part of the fundamental plant necessary for the functioning of the institution.” but especially, for the timely, quality and safe care of our patients. Reason why, the lack of basic supplies for patient care and our fees for more than 2 months is not a cause for concern and immediate solution,” they criticized.
They added that they see with “deep confusion” the lack of austerity, the large administrative plant that has not changed despite the difficult situation, the unnecessary costs that the institution has apparently incurred and that have been denounced by different entities. “We ask that the complaints that have been made by the Council regarding changes in hiring in different Hospital services be investigated and clarified. All of these actors and conditions affect the current liquidity of the institution and the spending that should be on health services for our community,” they concluded.
The crisis that the Hospital is going through deepened recently, following new delays in the payment of payroll to medical staff and difficulties in caring for patients came to light. In addition to these problems, it is worth remembering that the hospital has also been at the center of multiple complaints for alleged irregularities in its hiring processes, allegedly directed at companies with questioned experience and that have affected the provision of services such as food.
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