Hospitals in Colombia's Valle del Cauca department are warning of imminent service closures due to unpaid debts from health insurance providers [1].
This financial instability threatens the continuity of medical care for thousands of patients. If facilities cannot cover operational costs, essential health services may become unavailable in critical regions including Cali.
Governor Dilian Francisca Toro and Health Secretary María Cristina Lesmes said that Entidades Promotoras de Salud (EPS) have failed to transfer funds owed to hospitals [1, 2]. The unpaid resources specifically correspond to the months of May 2024 [1] and June 2024 [1].
Health care workers have staged protests to demand payment, arguing that the lack of funding jeopardizes patient safety. Some facilities have already taken drastic measures to manage the deficit. The San Antonio de Roldanillo hospital has suspended services to patients of Nueva EPS [3].
Reports indicate a significant financial gap in the region. The San Antonio de Roldanillo hospital reportedly faces a debt of approximately 1,000,000 U.S. dollars from Nueva EPS [3]. While some reports suggest that only specific facilities like Roldanillo have suspended services, other officials said that multiple hospitals across the department face potential closure if the payment crisis persists [1, 3].
Local health authorities continue to question where the allocated resources are being held. The lack of liquidity has created a bottleneck in the delivery of medicine and specialized care, a situation that officials said is unsustainable for the public health infrastructure [2].
“Hospitals in Valle del Cauca are warning of imminent service closures.”
The crisis in Valle del Cauca reflects a systemic failure in the Colombian health payment model, where hospitals rely on EPS intermediaries to receive government funds. When these insurers fail to transfer payments, the financial burden shifts to the providers, leading to service suspensions that directly impact patient access to care.
