Sanitas EPS must be returned. End of Petro’s health experiment?
Dear Subscribers,
This week may mark a turning point for President Petro’s health policy. Colombia’s Constitutional Court ordered that Sanitas EPS be returned to its rightful owner, the Spanish group Keralty, ruling that the government’s intervention lacked justification and violated due process. The decision could spark a chain reaction: could EPS providers like Sura, Sabia Salud, and Coosalud be next?
If the government complies —still a big “if”— the ruling would confirm what many suspected: Petro’s health system experiment has failed. Instead of improving healthcare, it led to distrust, drug shortages, long wait times, and a sharp decline in service quality.
Meanwhile, the state-run Nueva EPS, with over 11 million members, continues to draw the most complaints. So the question remains: What kind of healthcare system do we really want for Colombia? The Court has spoken.
🎧 Listen to the full analysis and essential figures on El Podcast de Ricardo Galán.
🎙️ New interview series: “Los que quieren mandar” (“Those Who Want to Rule”)
We kick off our new presidential interview series with former Finance Minister Mauricio Cárdenas. A candid conversation covering economics, healthcare, security, justice, education, and even personal insights.
Out this weekend on YouTube, Spotify, and all podcast platforms.
🇨🇴 Key news from Colombia:
📌 Moody’s downgrades Colombia’s credit rating. Higher debt costs, shrinking investor confidence. Colombia is back in “credit watch” mode.
📌 Colombia now leads the world in cocaine production. 67% of global illicit coca crops are here. Production rose 53% in just one year. With 25 million global users, the market just keeps growing.
📌 Petro wins a court case —against an investigation that didn’t exist. The Constitutional Court ruled that the electoral council can’t investigate the president. But… they weren’t investigating him to begin with. A legal win for nothing.
📌 Senator Miguel Uribe in critical condition. His wife confirms another major surgery. Thoughts and prayers go out for his recovery.
🌀 Andesco Congress 2025: Highlights from Cartagena
From Colombia’s top utilities and infrastructure event, some urgent insights:
Energy transition in danger. Without transmission networks, clean energy is just a dream. Enel, XM, and Bogotá’s Energy Group agree: decisions must be made now.
Gas shortages ahead. Colombia will need to import gas at 3x the cost. Still no government plan in sight.
Water funding dries up. Only 5.4% of the national transfers budget goes to clean water, while 58.5% goes to education —yet quality remains poor.
Security deteriorates. Governors from Meta, Santander, and Atlántico report that crime is out of control and blame weakened police and military forces.
Circombia: Comic relief by Daniel Samper Ospina was the most attended and applauded session. Sometimes, you need to laugh to keep from crying.
📣 Final thoughts:
A troubling note from the Andesco event: despite over 100 regional journalists in attendance, not a single presidential campaign press team visited the press room. As Ricardo says: this is not how you build a national campaign.
Thank you for staying connected. Please comment, share, and subscribe to El Podcast de Ricardo Galán on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube Music.
Enjoy your long weekend —see you next week!