DistantNews
Support us
Boy Who Appealed to President to Save His Life Exposes Colombia’s Health System Failures
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Boy Who Appealed to President to Save His Life Exposes Colombia’s Health System Failures

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Seven-year-old Lucas Murillo, who was born with a congenital heart condition and needs a transplant, appealed to Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella for help.
  • The president and health authorities intervened after a video of Lucas went viral, leading to his transfer from Cúcuta to a specialized hospital in Bucaramanga.
  • The case has highlighted wider problems in Colombia’s health system, while the president’s handling of it has also drawn suggestions of political promotion.

A seven-year-old Colombian boy’s plea to President Abelardo de la Espriella has turned an urgent medical case into a national debate over the country’s health system.

My name is Lucas Francesco Murillo García, I am seven years old. I was born with a heart condition, I always use oxygen. I live in Cúcuta, in Norte de Santander. I have had three open-heart surgeries, because I only have half a heart.

— Lucas MurilloThe boy described his condition and medical history in the video that prompted national attention.

Lucas Murillo, from Cúcuta in Norte de Santander, was born with a congenital heart condition. He says he has only half a heart, relies on oxygen and has undergone three open-heart surgeries. In a video that spread widely on social media, he appealed for help securing examinations, a cardiac catheterization and placement on a transplant list.

“My name is Lucas Francesco Murillo García, I am seven years old. I was born with a heart condition, I always use oxygen. I live in Cúcuta, in Norte de Santander. I have had three open-heart surgeries, because I only have half a heart,” he said. Lucas also said his mother had spent a year trying to get Nueva EPS, a health provider, to authorize the procedures and refer him to a top-level clinic. “I do not want to die,” he said.

I do not want to die.

— Lucas MurilloHis appeal captured the urgency of his request for treatment and transplant evaluation.

The appeal prompted intervention by the president, Health Minister Ana María Vesga and other health agencies. De la Espriella said he had given “the immediate instruction to act, without delay,” and later announced that Lucas was receiving the required care from Nueva EPS and specialists at the Cardiovascular Foundation of Bucaramanga.

The immediate instruction to act, without delay.

— Abelardo de la EspriellaThe president described the order he said he issued after hearing Lucas’s appeal.

Lucas was flown in a medical aircraft from Cúcuta to Bucaramanga and admitted to the Hospital Internacional de Colombia. Hospital staff applauded as he arrived on a stretcher, and the center said a specialized team monitored him throughout the journey. The president’s intervention may help secure treatment, but it has also been viewed as carrying a political element. During a phone call, Lucas told the president “Stand firm for the homeland,” the campaign slogan De la Espriella has retained in government.

Stand firm for the homeland.

— Lucas MurilloLucas repeated the president’s campaign slogan at the end of their phone call.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog