Colombia’s Defense Ministry confirmed on Monday that it has frozen arms imports to reallocate funds to healthcare as the country is confronting the coronavirus pandemic.
Senator Ivan Cepeda and 26 other opposition senators initially asked Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo last week to reallocate $250 million from the defense budget to healthcare.
Trujillo declined, but Cepeda celebrated that the minister agreed to reallocate $25 million meant for the import of arms.
We value the fact that money usually invested in the purchase of arms goes to the health of Colombians and we hope that this will continue to be the case in the future. This is a demonstration that it is possible to reach agreements through dialogue in a time of difficulty and emergency, when the priority is the defense of life.
Senator Ivan Cepeda
According to newspaper El Tiempo, the defense funds will be used for the increase of the number of intensive care units in the country, as well as the purchase of coronavirus tests and personal protection equipment.
Trujillo additionally stressed on Twitter that the military increased its efforts to use its manpower to provide humanitarian aid in remote regions where healthcare and state services are often absent.