Health and Safety in Colombia

The national health system of Colombia was recently strengthened through the Law 10 on Municipalization of Health which was reflected on the new Constitution of 1991. By the enactment of Law 100 in 1993, the General Health and Social Security System (GHSSS) was established which includes a broad pension plan, supplementary social services, and coverage for work-related dangers. The National Health Superintendency has overall responsibility in inspecting, monitoring, and regulating the health system of Colombia in terms of judicial, administrative, financial and contractual aspects. The GHSSS guarantees access to vital drugs and medicines through the Mandatory Health Plan (POS) for insured citizens under the subsidized system.

In 2000, almost 76% of the municipalities in Colombia still do not have access to potable water. The Ministry of Development reported that barely 5% of the nation’s 1,076 municipalities treat their waste waster before disposing it resulting to a high risk of contracting diseases due to poor water quality. Few solid waste services are available in urban areas and disposal of solid waste in open fields are still prevalent in many rural areas. Cases of AIDS/HIV in 2000 reported that almost 67,000 people are positive carriers of the disease. Malaria still remains a serious public health problem crisis. It is projected that almost 18 million people live in malaria-prone areas.