Representatives of the Latin American Association of Private Health Systems (Alami) made a statement asking the Colombian government to preserve the achievements of the Health System.
Through a letter to the President of the Republic, the President of the Latin American Association of Private Health Systems (Alami), Christian Mazzaasked the Colombian government not to back down on health issues.
Surrounded by a delegation of spokespersons and representatives from Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Peru and Colombia, the spokesperson for the international organization, which brings together 11 countries and more than 200 million members, emphasized that there are common challenges to the region in health matters such as adding value to services in terms of quality and timeliness.
“We have been attentive to the debate in Colombia and recently recorded the conclusions of the Fedesarrollo study, which shows that the gaps in access, coverage, gender, insurance and even quality —that existed 30 years ago when the Social Security Institute was operating — today they have been corrected in an important way, and have contributed decisively to the reduction of poverty in the country, and the financial protection of households. That cannot be lost”, says the letter. More health is a better level of productivity of societies, it is a better level of medicine, it is to raise the standard of quality of life of the population in the long term.
The leader also referred to the improvements that must be made to the System. “From the region, we hope that the country can incorporate improvements in primary health care. That is where more work is required”, added the president of the international organization.
ALAMI considers that the private health sector in Colombia is, due to its history, tradition, and business trajectory, an essential actor in the provision and financing of health in this country.
“The Colombian government must value and respect the contribution to the health system of this sector and listen to their requests and proposals. It cannot and is not logical to discard the positive experience developed in the last thirty years in Colombia, where public and private investments made it possible to have the health infrastructure and the medical development achieved,” the statement said.
And he adds: “ALAMI supports health reforms that ensure stability and sustainability in the use of available resources and capacities. Stability is necessary to accompany investments of magnitude in health that require a medium and long-term horizon to obtain financial and economic balances compatible with the operation of the system.
Likewise, the communiqué states that “in the same way, any health reform must be sustainable over time in the sense that the system actors must be guaranteed their permanence in the system without altering the rules of the game at every step. Regulatory stability and sustainability are fundamental requirements to ensure the success of a reform of the health system”.
Finally, he concluded with a direct message to President Gustavo Petro. “From the region, Mr. President, in many aspects, we see your country’s health system as a model with clear strengths. We also know about your proposals for change for the benefit of those most in need and we also accompany you in this. We are sure that if all the relevant actors in Colombian society in the field of health work together, they will find the best consensus formulas to improve this System. They are living a historic and decisive moment in terms of discussions and changes in health, which the entire region is observing”.
The Latin American Association of Private Health Systems (ALAMI) is a non-profit civil association created 42 years ago, and brings together associations from 11 countries with coverage of more than 200 million Latin Americans and Central Americans.
Source: Ambito
