Colombians are increasingly using homemade remedies after health insurers failed to deliver prescribed medications [1, 2].

This shift toward alternative medicine highlights a growing crisis in the national health system, where administrative failures are preventing patients from accessing essential pharmaceutical care. The inability to secure prescribed drugs forces vulnerable populations to risk their health on unverified treatments.

Reports from April 2024 indicate that patients of the Nueva EPS health insurer have faced significant delays in receiving their medications [1]. The advocacy group Pacientes Colombia said the organization is questioning the destination of health resources due to these persistent delivery failures [1].

Similar crises have affected the Fondo Nacional de Prestaciones Sociales del Magisterio (Fomag), which provides health services to teachers [2]. The lack of medicines and general service failures have triggered widespread unrest among educators, leading to protests and strikes in Bogotá and other major cities [2].

Logistical and administrative problems within these insurers are the primary drivers of the shortages [1, 2]. Because the system cannot provide the necessary drugs, many citizens have turned to home-based alternatives to manage their conditions [1, 2].

While some patients seek temporary relief through traditional methods, the systemic failure to provide professional medical treatment remains a central point of contention for both patient advocates and labor unions [1, 2].

“Colombians are increasingly using homemade remedies after health insurers failed to deliver prescribed medications.”

The reliance on home remedies in Colombia is not a cultural preference but a symptom of systemic institutional collapse. When state-linked insurers like Nueva EPS and Fomag fail to manage logistics, it creates a public health vacuum that pushes patients toward unregulated treatments, potentially exacerbating chronic conditions and increasing long-term healthcare costs.