Health care reform debate in the House remains tangled: will there be a discussion on Tuesday?

The discussion of the health reform of the government of President Gustavo Petro remains entangled. This Monday, there was a new blockage by the vice presidents of the House of Representatives, who refuse to sign the agenda of the plenary session of the corporation if this initiative appears.

But the adverse outlook is not only due to the decisions of the Board of Directors. This Monday, the official forces tried to schedule the discussion, via a proposal, but were defeated.

“The Historic Pact tried, through its now frequent tricks, to bypass the Board of Directors to force the health reform to be scheduled. Do me a favor. You think you own the House of Representatives. You were soundly defeated. Respect it,” said Representative Catherine Juvinao, of the Green Alliance.

There were 82 votes against scheduling the health reform, which is a strong message about the bad atmosphere that the project currently has in the Chamber, where the Casa de Nariño had reigned.

This Tuesday, the reform is not on the agenda either, but it is possible that they will try to include it again through a proposal.

Lina María Garrido (Cambio Radical) and Jorge Tovar (peace seats), vice presidents of the House of Representatives, have refused to sign the agenda of the plenary session if the health reform is on the agenda.

The Historic Pact attempted, through its now frequent tricks, to bypass the Board of Directors to force the health reform to be scheduled.

They argue that it is not convenient to continue with the second of four debates while the fiscal support of the project is not known. That is, how much money it will cost the Nation to transform the health system. Precisely, that was one of the sins of the previous reform, which after passing its two debates in the House, sank in the Seventh Commission of the Senate.

"We cannot approve a reform without transparency, without resources and without complying with the law. We cannot approve the reform of death, which they have called the reform of health," Garrido said.

“Today, in the House plenary session, some members of Congress from the Historic Pact tried to usurp the functions of the board of directors, all in an effort to hastily discuss the health reform. The message from the plenary session was clear and overwhelmingly majority. The board of directors and Congress respect each other!” said Tovar regarding the defeat of the ruling party in the session this Monday.

The government, for its part, has called for the reform to be scheduled, arguing that it is necessary to prevent the lives of millions of Colombians, according to them, from being at risk.

“We demand that the Health Reform be included in the agenda. I call on the vice presidents of the House of Representatives to stop sabotaging the health reform, to add it to the agenda and to allow it to be discussed. We need this reform to be implemented in our country, because it concerns the lives of millions of Colombians,” said Representative Alejandro Ocampo, of the Historic Pact.

Representative Katherine Miranda, for her part, called for the health reform not to be discussed until the Government complies with the orders of the High Courts on the adjustment of the value of the Per Capita Payment Unit (UPC) and the payment of the adjustment of the Maximum Budgets for 2022.

"We cannot be irresponsible with the lives and health of Colombians. The financial crisis of the system is evident and before discussing any reform we must ensure that the Government complies with its obligations," said parliamentarian Miranda.

The unblocking of the reform will be in the hands of the new Minister of the Interior, former Senator Armando Benedetti, who will take office in the next few days. If the vice presidents refuse to sign the agenda with the reform, he will have to obtain the majorities so that, through a proposal, the debate can continue.