Colombian health care workers blocked the entrance to the former Ministry of Social Protection in Bogota Wednesday arguing that the government owes them $260 million.
Around 100 people from the Association of Health Workers and the social security sindicate, ANTHOC, threatened to camp overnight at the ministry if the government didn’t pay health insurance companies the $260 million allegedly owed.
ANTHOC President Yesid Camacho explained that the workers resorted to protest “before the lies of the president and the minister, who say that they have circulated $260 million for public hospitals. It was six months ago that they said that, and yet hospitals have received $41.5 million, $15.5 million to the private sector and $26 million to the public sector…”
He also added “we have been forced to block the entrances and demonstrate that it is not true that the government has transferred the $260 million.”
Demonstrators demanded that President Juan Manuel Santos as well as the new health minister promptly ensure the implementation of the money, so that hospitals will be able to operate functionally, and that they pay all the debts owed to the public networks in the country.