The Ministry of Health confirmed the progress in mobile infrastructure for health care of the Amazon population. Through a statement, he informed that the signing of the contract for the construction and provision of a hospital ship was carried out.
According to the portfolio, The signing of the contract arises after more than a year of apparent “unjustified delays” and alleged blockages by the San Rafael de Leticia hospital. However, thanks to the accompaniment of the Attorney General’s Office, it was possible to unlock the important project.
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“The contract was formalized on April 30, 2025, after the Attorney General reviewed the case and exercised rigorous monitoring Given the obvious negligence and inoperance of some officials who had been delaying the process for more than a year, ”said the Ministry.
The project consists of the construction of a Caps River hospital ship, which will have all kinds of adequate spaces to serve the citizens that require it. You will have operating rooms, vaccination areas, a clinical laboratory, medical officesa place for image exams, basic hospitalization areas and spaces for dental care.
And although the mobile infrastructure will operate in the Amazon, it will also move through the waters of Putumayo, where health professionals will provide their services to the inhabitants of the department. That is why it was designed with a 1.2 -meter draft (depth that reaches in the water the submerged part of a ship) and with a guaranteed autonomy of up to 20 days. In addition, it will have the capacity to have 13 crew people, added to 24 people who will form the medical and welfare personnel.
The provision of comprehensive and quality health services will benefit riverside communities that have historically been forgotten by the State and, therefore, have not had access to specialized medical care. The ship, which will be built thanks to the alliance between the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, with the National Navy and with the Corporation of Science and Technology for the development of the Naval, Maritime and River Industry (Cotecmar), It will break geographical barriers that have limited access to health to thousands of people.
The health model that will be implemented is Primary Health Care (APS), a bet of the Gustavo Petro government, and will provide coverage in articulation with the integral and integrated networks of health services (RIISS).
“This inter -institutional management demonstrates the commitment of control entities with transparency and general interestand feel an important precedent in the need to guarantee equitable access to health services in the most remote areas of the country, ”said the portfolio.
The project was prioritized since 2023 and has $ 55,000 million to guarantee its execution. In June 2024, the Ministry of Health granted its technical viability and, through Resolution 1315 of July 26, 2024, issued the resources for its development.
However, according to the portfolio, The San Rafael de Leticia hospital incurred delays to advance hiring. This implied risks of patrimonial detriment and cost overrunshence the Attorney General’s Office intervened from its preventive function. At the same time, the communities that will benefit from the ship and the provision of the services were in uncertainty.
Despite the delay in the formalization of the contract, progress was made in the process, which is the basis for projecting another similar mobile infrastructure that operates in other departments of the country, such as Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño.
“With the signing of this contract, the Ministry reaffirms its commitment to the structural transformation of the health systembased on a territorial, preventive, intercultural and social justice approach. This is a firm step towards compliance with the National Development Plan 2022–2026, which recognizes the right to health as a pillar to close gaps and build equity, ”concluded the ministry in the statement.
