During 2020 and so far in 2021, clinics, hospitals, workers, and health sector providers in the region have received $3.75 billion from the national government.

The balance was introduced by Jorge Gutierrez, director of Adres (Director of Public System Resources for Social Security in Health), who confirmed that this year he had not only cash, but more resources.

He explained that “the bulk of these funds were transferred directly to hospitals, clinics, medical centers and other health service providers in the valley, for medical care for general diseases and covid-19 for users of the contributing and subsidized systems.”

He noted that the government recognizes the payment of EPS to each member, and it also made payments to those who were unable to contribute to health during the pandemic because, for example, they lost their jobs. In this last point they invested 73,090 million dollars.

Only for services provided by Valley Clinics and Hospitals, $2.1 billion was directly wiped out in the period analyzed.

In addition, Jorge Gutierrez said 26,815 workers in this sector received $40,000 million in bonuses and $42.450 million for making intensive care beds, clinics and hospitals available. This has benefited entities such as Hospital Universitario del Valle, ESE Departamental Tomás Uribe Uribe, Clínica Santa Sofía, Emergency Medical, among other healthcare centers.

“Continuing the national government’s strategy to support the most vulnerable population in the midst of the pandemic, Adres has implemented a temporary economic compensation (CET) payment to subsidized system companies with a positive diagnosis of covid-19 corresponding to cash assistance of 7 days minimum wage. It is for this concept We transferred $2,088 million to 33,394 coronavirus patients.”

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persistence of debt

Despite this panorama, Valley Governor Clara Luz Roldan confirmed that EPS has $800,000 million in debt with clinics and hospitals in the area.

For this reason, he announced the formation of technical tables through which these debts will be evaluated and settled.

“EPS has committed to providing clarification with IPS during this week, and next Thursday they will bring the results to a new table where we will check and verify these amounts to be paid to hold agreements, and obviously we have asked the Social Protection Deputy Minister, Maria Andrea Godoy during a meeting in which he participated. Representatives of EPS and Hospitals, EPS will make an effort in direct transfers for the coming months to give greater liquidity to the public utility service in Valle del Cauca.

The governor insisted that a quick solution to this hospital crisis must be sought. “The IPS bear all the burden, we all have to put it on, we’ve been dealing with this pandemic for over a year and the public and private network has been up to the task,” he said.

The Adres director said that the vast majority of those debt EPS has been around for a long time and is part of the problem that the sector has, but that progress will be made to the extent that repayment agreements are made on those debts. Old accounts with EPS.

He said progress is being made on the end-point agreement on the debt the district has with IPS for services rendered that are not included in the benefits plan.