The Ministry of Health resumes technical meetings to review the UPC following a Constitutional Court order.

In compliance with Order 504 of 2025 issued by the Special Chamber for Monitoring Judgment T-760 of 2008 of the Constitutional Court, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection issued Resolution 1324 of June 27, 2025, formally restarting the technical committee responsible for reviewing the adequacy of the Per Capita Payment Unit (UPC).

The previous roundtables, which began on March 20 and ended on April 30, were widely questioned by experts, and the high court therefore requested that they be restarted with greater plurality among its members.

This decision was made after the Court identified potential delays in the value of the UPC corresponding to the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 periods. The UPC is the amount that the State charges to the Health Promotion Entities (EPS) for each member to guarantee the provision of services under the Health Benefits Plan.

The resolution establishes that the new working group will be participatory and deliberative in nature and will include key stakeholders from the health system, including the Ministry of Finance, the Adres (National Health Service), the Attorney General's Office, the Comptroller's Office, the National Health Superintendence, EPS (both those involved and those not involved), IPS (Institutionalized Health Institutions), patient associations, the academic sector, scientific and pharmaceutical associations, and representatives of diverse populations such as indigenous and rural communities and people with disabilities.

During the sessions, which may be held in person, virtually, or in a hybrid format, key aspects will be analyzed, such as variations in usage frequencies, accident rates, severity of health events, impact of inclusions in the benefit plan, risk adjustments, and the technical criteria that would justify a potential readjustment of the 2024 UPC value.

The resolution repeals Resolution 370 of 2025, which initially created the technical panel, and defines new operating rules, including the need to guarantee truthful and substantiated information, respect for different positions, the use of clear and accessible language, and the inclusion of all sectors with legitimate interests.

The Deputy Minister of Social Protection, Luis Alberto Martínez, will chair the committee, while the technical secretariat will be the Directorate of Regulation of Health Insurance Benefits, Costs, and Rates. The latter will be responsible for establishing the committee, proposing the work schedule, coordinating the sessions, preparing minutes, and submitting reports to the Constitutional Court and the Attorney General's Office.

With this measure, the National Government seeks to comply with the Supreme Court's order, guarantee the financial sustainability of the health system, and ensure that public resources allocated for insurance are sufficient and equitably distributed. Broad participation from the relevant sectors will be key to building consensus and making informed decisions about the future of the system's financing.

It's important to note that the first technical roundtables were widely questioned by experts and stakeholders in the health sector. Pacientes Colombia, a movement that brings together 200 patient organizations across the country, was one of those that expressed its "concern."

As a volunteer expert before the Constitutional Court, Pacientes Colombia actively participated in the technical roundtables convened by the Colombian Federation of Rare Diseases (Fecoer) and the Interinstitutional Observatory of Rare Diseases (ENHU). It also continuously monitored the guidelines of Court Ruling 007 and promptly reported any noncompliance detected in the formation and conduct of these roundtables.

Among the criticisms of the process by Pacientes Colombia spokesperson Denis Silva is, for example, the failure to include university think tanks with expertise in the UPC calculations.

"We demand that the national government immediately comply with the orders of the Constitutional Court, guarantee a truly participatory, diverse, and technical working group, and define without further delay the fair adjustment of the 2024 UPC and its correction mechanism. As the governing bodies of the system, it is your responsibility to prioritize the fundamental right to health over political or budgetary decisions," said Luz Victoria Salazar, president of the board of directors of the Interinstitutional Observatory of Rare Diseases (ENHU).

At the close of the discussion panels, Acemi, representing the EPSs under the contributory system, expressed concern about the quality and handling of the information supporting official calculations, a constant point they also expressed throughout the sessions.

"There is a serious problem in the reporting of information that serves as the basis for the UPC's calculations. The lack of standardization and the ministry's discretion in analyzing the data has led to the elimination of information relevant to the system," Acemi said in a statement.

For his part, Diego Gil, executive director of Fecoer, emphasized: “We cannot continue to delay decisive decisions regarding the adequacy of the ICU. The difficult financial situation of the health system, exacerbated by a lack of resources, puts the care and lives of patients at risk. It is time to guarantee real and effective participation that allows for the development of technical and sustainable solutions for financing health care. Time is running out. The humanitarian crisis cannot wait. Every day of postponement deepens patients' suffering. Health is a right, not an option.”

Environment and Health Journalist