February 8, 2023 / 6:37 p.m
The Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC) called for the debate on the reform of the health system to take place in an environment of national dialogue, to prevent the country from continuing to fracture.
The reform of the health system is one of the electoral promises of President Gustavo Petro. One of the issues that has polarized the discussion is the future of health promoting entities (EPS), which were criticized by the current president during the elections.
However, six months after assuming the government, details of the pro-government project that must be debated in Congress are still unknown.
From the headquarters of the CEC, where the bishops are gathered in Plenary Assembly, the Auxiliary Bishop of Bogotá, Msgr. Germán Medina Acosta, pointed out yesterday that it is important that the population be involved in the discussion of the health reform, but to do so it is necessary “that the proposals that the project has are made known.”
The Prelate also called for the debate to be carried out in a cordial atmosphere because “this country needs communion”. and not of division,” he said.
For his part, Fr. Raúl Ortiz Toro, director of the Department of Doctrine and Ecumenism of the CEC, asked not to draw “hasty conclusions” about a text that is not yet known.
“The only thing we can say is that the social doctrine of the Church exists, which has certain principles on which we hope the reform of the health system will be based, that is, to focus on the dignity of the person and remember that the good common is everyone’s joint responsibility,” he said.
The Bishop of Pasto and president of the Episcopal Communications Commission, Msgr. Juan Carlos Cárdenas, recalled that the center must be the good of the person.
The Prelate said that it is important to “listen to other sectors and complement each other” in order to “seek a better life condition for Colombians.”