Valle del Cauca government allocates 6 billion pesos to hospitals to relieve salary debts

The government of Valle del Cauca is injecting 6 billion pesos into three hospitals to tackle the critical issue of salary debts owed to healthcare workers. Governor Dilian Francisca Toro announced the funds will be directed to the hospitals in Roldanillo, Sevilla, and Zarzal, aiming to alleviate the financial crisis gripping the region's health sector.

Governor Toro emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "We cannot allow those who care for the lives of Colombians to continue facing such a critical and unsustainable situation." She added that since "we cannot expect anything from the National Government at this moment," the Valle del Cauca government is stepping in to reduce labor debt, ensuring workers can provide care with quality and humanization.

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We cannot allow those who care for the lives of Colombians to continue facing such a critical and unsustainable situation, but as we cannot expect anything from the National Government at this moment, from the Government of Valle we are already transferring resources to be able to give 6 billion pesos to the hospitals of Roldanillo, Sevilla and Zarzal, and thus decrease the labor debt that exists so that the workers can be calm and attend to the patients with quality, love and humanization.

The decision follows protests and road blockades by healthcare workers in the northern part of the department who have experienced salary delays of up to five months due to non-payment by EPS. Toro highlighted the human cost of the crisis, affecting patients, their families, and healthcare professionals who continue to provide services despite not receiving their own salaries.

The broader financial crisis in Valle del Cauca sees EPS owing over 7 trillion pesos to the region's public and private health networks. This has led to service disruptions, medication delays, and the loss of approximately 2,000 jobs in the sector. The departmental government's direct injection of funds aims to address the immediate payroll backlog while continuing efforts to find systemic solutions.

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This crisis has human faces: those of the patients who await care, those of their families, and those of doctors, nurses, auxiliaries, and other workers who, despite continuing to provide their services, today do not have the resources to support their own homes.