141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

283535
Public health in Colombia′s new health sector reform

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Oscar Bernal, Asociate Professor, Director , Director, Master of Public Health Program, School of Goverment, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia, Lakeland, FL
Catalina Gutierrez, Asociate Professor , School of Goverment, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
Arturo Harker, Assistant professor , School of Goverment, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
Sofia Velasco, MPH candidate , School of Goverment, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Comoros
Juan Camilo Forero, MPH candidate , School of Govement, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
Diana Paola Estupiaan, Medical student , Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
Juan Manuel Gonzalez, Asociate Professor , CIDER, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
Estefania Oliveros, Political science student , Department of Political Science, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
Lina Maria Burgos, Systems Engineer , Engineering Faculty, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
Johnattan Garcia, Law student , Law school, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
Diana Zamora, Medical student , Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
Juanita Duran, Lawer , Universidad de los Andes, Bogota D.C, Colombia
The Colombian health system is experiencing a major crisis and the Ministry of Health is undertaking a structural reform. The main symptoms of this crisis are the low quality of health care, increased health budget deficit, legal problems of health insurance companies and bankruptcy of providers.

The causes include, among others, lack of governance, a health sector not adapted to the new economic reality, a health system too complex with multiple actors and no clarity of stakeholders function and responsibilities, an unclear benefits package, corruption, etc.

Methods:

An interdisciplinary team analyzed the different health sector reform legislative projects and interviewed different stakeholders. The main goal was to understand the role of public health in the different health sector reform projects.

Results:

Public health has been understood as health promotion and disease prevention in most of the health reforms projects. Health promotion is focused on health determinants; however the role of the health sector and the relationship with other sectors, such as education, is unclear in the proposed reforms.

Disease prevention is presented as the responsibility of the government in a national health system proposal, under the insurance company's responsibility maintaining the actual organization, or by the health providers.

Discussion:

The role of public health in health sector reform is very limited; most of the proposals in the reforms are focused on organization and health sector budget management. Important public health functions such as development of policies and institutional capacity, equitable access and social participation are not in the main agenda.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Analyze the role of public health in different health sector reform projects in Colombia.

Keywords: Health Reform, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: The University de los Andes in Colombia is consolidating an interdisciplinary team responsible for following up and providing recommendations for health sector improvement. The principal researcher is a physician, with a PhD in public health and extensive international experience, and is also an advisor for the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the Global Fund
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.