Health reform: Will we return to the pre-1993 system? – the health

The health reform proposed by the government of Gustavo Petro was the subject of multiple controversies between the various actors in the system.

One approach about this project is the fact that the health system can again be a model similar to the one the state had prior to the implementation of Law 100 of 1993.

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Prior to Law 100 of 1993, which established Colombia’s General Social Security Health System (SGSSS), there was the National Health System (SNS) which was administered through so-called “sectoral health secretariats”.

They managed resources, appointed officials, performed audits and had many other functions. However, for many experts, the system was ineffective and had very little coverage in the sector.

Fearing the idea of ​​returning to this health model, the Minister of Health, Carolina Corcho, explained in an interview with EL TIEMPO that it is not possible to return to this structure because today the system has much more funding .

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“You cannot compare the health system that existed before 1993 with the current system. At that time the state contributed less than 3.5% of GDP. It was a system with very little state funding,” he explained.

The head of the portfolio mentioned that one of the great achievements of Law 100 is precisely that the state has increased its funding. “Next year, the highest level of health resources will be reached, which will be 8 percentage points in terms of GDP. Therefore, it cannot be compared with a system that had less than half of the funding today,” he stressed.

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