Colombia’s response to healthcare crisis

Colombia is struggling to provide an affordable and effective health system for its population. As in most of Latin America, its healthcare challenges include rising chronic diseases, persistent infectious diseases, and worsening inequity. More uniquely, around 3.4 million people are registered as internally displaced1 and, although declining, murder and intentional injury remain major problems. Almost half (45.5%) of Colombians live below the poverty line, and the country’s Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality, was 0.587 in 2009,2 the highest in Latin America.

Colombia currently ranks 87 out of 187 on the United Nation’s human development index with a per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of $9800.3 Around 5.8% of GDP is spent on healthcare, infant mortality is 15.5 deaths/1000 live births, and life expectancy at birth is 73.7 years.3 4 These statistics compare favourably with neighbouring countries, as the table⇓ shows. However, rising costs, waiting lists, and poor quality have left the system in disarray.