The Ministry of Health denied that there is a medication crisis in Colombia, in response to the report from the Ombudsman’s Office, which warned about the increase in guardianships, delays in care and difficulties in accessing treatments.

According to the National Government, between 2022 and 2024 the delivery of mid-range and high-cost drugs increased through the institutional system, guaranteeing previously limited therapies for thousands of patients.

Minister Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo assured that the increase in health spending is not due to failures of the State, but to cost overruns imposed by pharmaceutical monopolies and private chains.

“Today the State faces these market distortions and protects patients, not intermediaries,” he stated.

The Ministry indicated that it works in coordination with Adres, the National Health Superintendency and Invima to strengthen control mechanisms, improve distribution efficiency and guarantee the availability of medical supplies throughout the national territory.

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Likewise, the portfolio pointed out that the Ombudsman’s report shows the urgency of advancing a structural reform of the health system, aimed at prioritizing patient care and guaranteeing the financial sustainability of the sector. According to the Ministry, this transformation seeks to reduce dependence on the private market and consolidate a model that treats health as a right, not as a business.

The statement comes after the Ombudsman’s Office, on November 6, warned of a regressivity in the guarantee of the right to health and asked the Government to accelerate structural measures. Defender Iris Marín pointed out that access problems affect all regimens, creating barriers especially in high-cost medications and treatments.

In response, the Ministry stressed that the medicine crisis does not exist and that the State is up to date with payments to the system, while the EPS continue to generate delays that affect service to users.

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