Sanitas EPS users in Tocancipá reject the transfer of services to the municipal hospital after the termination of the contract with the Santa Carolina IPS.
An administrative decision by the Sanitas Health Insurance Company (EPS) has raised concerns among thousands of residents of the municipality of Tocancipá. The company announced the cancellation of its contract with the Santa Carolina IPS, a medical center that has provided healthcare services to nearly 18,000 EPS members in this area of the department for more than six years.
According to this newspaper, Sanitas will transfer its members to the Tocancipá municipal hospital. However, the change has sparked discontent among the community, which fears an overcrowding of the local system and a decline in the quality and continuity of care.
IPS Santa Carolina de Tocancipá. Photo: IPS Santa Carolina
The Santa Carolina IPS has been operating in the region for more than 35 years and has been serving Sanitas users for six years, a population among whom it has grown exponentially. “Seven years ago, we had 1,300 Sanitas users. Today, we have 18,500. This demonstrates the work and the trust placed in us,” said Dr. Gustavo Roa Bernal, the institution's manager, in a public message to members.
“They gave us the most sacred thing in their lives: their children, their parents, their family. We always cared for them, even during the most difficult time the country has ever had, which was the pandemic. They always had their medical unit by their side,” Roa said.
The doctor, who has been involved in healthcare in the municipality for more than three decades, lamented Sanitas' decision and clarified that it was not a decision by the IPS, but rather a unilateral decision by the EPS. "Today we say goodbye with great sadness. This is not a decision made by the Santa Carolina Medical Unit. We gave our best in each of our services: consultations, dentistry, physical therapy, and laboratory," he stated.
The Santa Carolina IPS was the health service provider for Sanitas users in Tocancipá. Photo: IPS Santa Carolina
In his message, Dr. Roa thanked the community for their support and recalled the shared history between the IPS and the families of Tocancipá. “We leave with our heads held high, because we have executed what God taught us perfectly. More united than ever, stronger than ever,” he said.
Despite the termination of the contract with Sanitas, the Santa Carolina Medical Unit will continue to offer occupational health services to companies in the region. "Thank you to all the companies that have always supported us. Thank you for allowing us to enter your families," the manager concluded.
Users concerned about the capacity of the municipal hospital According to this newspaper, the 18,000 Sanitas users in Tocancipá will be referred to the municipal hospital, a medical center that, according to community spokespersons, lacks the capacity or the conditions to handle such a large healthcare load.
"The hospital is small and doesn't have the number of consulting rooms, specialists, or extended hours that Santa Carolina had. It's impossible for it to absorb almost 20,000 patients overnight," said one of the user leaders who has promoted a petition to ask the EPS to reconsider the decision.
Sanitas has not commented on the incident. Photo: César Melgarejo. EL TIEMPO
The relocation, residents warn, will not only affect affiliated families but also businesses in the productive sector of Tocancipá, whose employees depend on the Santa Carolina IPS for their medical checkups and health programs. "We're talking about workers from Femsa, Coca-Cola, Bavaria, and the flower sector, among others. If their care is affected, the municipality's productivity will also be impacted," states a statement seen by this newspaper.
This newspaper contacted EPS Sanitas to obtain its version of the contract termination and the process of transferring users, but the entity stated that it will not comment on the matter at this time.
Environment and Health Journalist
eltiempo
