Políticas Públicas/ Bruce MacMaster/ La crisis de la salud, un desafío inevitable

The Health Crisis: An Inevitable Challenge Bruce Mac Master May 15, 2026 Bruce Mac Master, president of ANDI (National Association of Industrialists), spoke with the Public Policy group about the profound crisis in the health system, a challenge he described as inevitable and of enormous magnitude for the country. He pointed out that the current situation is not only financial and operational, but a true humanitarian collapse. According to Mac Master, the suffering of patients is increasing: complaints have skyrocketed, out-of-pocket expenses are rising, and many people have stopped seeking health services, evidence that the system is not meeting the needs of the population. The crisis in healthcare provider institutions (IPS) is equally severe. Their accounts receivable have tripled, and nearly 80% are overdue. The country has lost 11% of its hospital bed capacity, 4,104 IPS have closed permanently, and more than 6,000 services have ceased operations. On the financial front, costs consistently exceed revenues, accumulating a deficit of over $30 billion. Mac Master emphasized that the UPC—the amount the State pays to EPSs (Health Promoting Entities) for each member—has been systematically miscalculated. Nueva EPS, under government intervention and now the largest in the country, has not submitted financial statements for two years, operates opaquely, and already serves nearly 12 million people. The Comptroller General's Office has warned that government interventions in EPSs have deteriorated both the entities themselves and the quality of care for users. He pointed out that the public policies implemented by the current government not only failed to address the sector's challenges but also created irreversible situations that contributed to a profound systemic crisis the country must now confront. In the discussion, several participants agreed that Colombia designed a system that aspires to the standards of developed countries but lacks the financial and administrative capacity to sustain it. Bruce Mac Master Profile Bruce Mac Master is an economist from the University of the Andes, with a master's degree in economic development. He currently presides over the National Association of Businesspeople of Colombia (ANDI). He was a founding partner of Inverlink, the country's first investment bank, where he led infrastructure and telecommunications projects. He later served as Vice Minister of Finance during the Santos administration and then as director of the newly created Administrative Department for Social Prosperity, the entity responsible for the social inclusion and reconciliation sector. Since the end of 2013, he has held the presidency of ANDI. In the social sphere, he has co-founded Compartamos con Colombia and the Granitos de Paz Foundation, and has taught courses on social responsibility. More information at: https://politicaspublicas.com.co/la-c...