International
The Keralty group announces that it can take action to recover the administration of Sanitas in Colombia
The group of Spanish origin Keralty, owner of the health provider (EPS) Sanitas, intervened on Tuesday by the Colombian Government, announced on Thursday that it is weighing the actions to be taken to recover the administration of the company because it considers the measure “arbitrary” and “illegal”.
“We strongly and forcefully reject the arbitrary intervention of our EPS because it is improvised, illegal, disproportionate and discriminatory,” Keralty says in a statement.
The group recalls that Sanitas has investments that support its technical reserves “for a value of more than 800 billion pesos” (about 193 million euros).
“We are analyzing the actions to be taken to stop the arbitrariness of the act of intervention, recovering the administration of EPS Sanitas for the benefit of our affiliates, collaborators and the country,” Keralty says in the statement.
The intervention for a period of one year was announced by the Superintendence of Health alleging the alleged insolvency of Sanitas, which has 5.8 million members in Colombia, and debts of more than two billion pesos (483 million euros today). But Keralty assures that the financial sustainability situation of the EPS is caused “largely by the same Government.”
That’s because it does not do “responsible analyses on issues such as the insufficiency of the UPC (Captation Payment Unit),” which is the annual value that is recognized by each of the members of the general security system, “the concentration of risk per member and the non-recognition of the accumulated debt.”
According to Keralty, those problems were alerted “opportunely” and in multiple scenarios to the Ministry of Health and other institutions, “without finding solutions,” and adds that last December Sanitas herself presented to the Superintendence of Health “an institutional reorganization plan on which there was no decision.”
As for the complaints about the service provided to users that the Government argues, Keralty assures that this indicator is “similar to the average of the sector” and not higher than the national average, as stated by the Superintendence of Health.
Keralty was born as a Sanitas International Organization 50 years ago in Spain, focusing its activity on the health sector and also has operations in Colombia, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
The statement adds that the intervention in Sanitas “may compromise the provision of the service to our 5.8 million affiliates and drastically changes the rules of the game for companies that bet on the country.”
In addition to Sanitas, the Colombian Government intervened on Wednesday by the New EPS, the largest company in the sector in the country, which has 10.9 million members.
These interventions have received harsh criticism from some sectors, which consider them an attempt by the Government to forcibly impose its health reform, after the bill presented to Congress definitively collapsed yesterday in the Seventh Committee of the Senate.
“What the same Congress is telling us is that the EPS are broken, now it’s up to us to solve it; what could be a quiet, orderly, trouble-free agreement, to make the transition, now it’s all at once,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro said last night about the changes he seeks to make in the health sector.
International
German Authorities Investigate More Than 100 New Cases Against Convicted Nurse
German authorities announced Monday that they are investigating more than 100 additional cases involving a nurse who was sentenced to life in prison in November for the murder of 10 patients.
The man, who was 44 at the time of his conviction, worked in palliative care at a hospital in Würselen, near Aachen. He was also found guilty of 27 attempted murders.
Aachen prosecutors are now examining 121 new cases, a spokesperson for the office said.
Prosecutors leading the investigation are preparing a new indictment that could be filed next year. Nearly 40 bodies have so far been exhumed as part of the investigation, which covers alleged incidents dating back to September 2022.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in the city of Cologne are investigating 18 additional cases. According to a spokesperson, the oldest case dates back to 2010.
Before working at the Würselen hospital, the nurse is believed to have worked at a clinic in eastern Cologne, according to local media reports.
At the time of his November conviction, the court ruled that the severity of his crimes was particularly serious, a finding that would make it difficult for him to obtain early release after 15 years in prison.
Between December 2023 and May 2024, the nurse administered overdoses of sedatives or painkillers to terminally ill patients, most of them elderly, according to the indictment in the original case.
His alleged motive was to sedate patients who required care so that he could minimize his workload during night shifts, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, the nurse worked «without enthusiasm» and «without motivation». When faced with patients requiring extensive care, he allegedly became «irritated» and showed a lack of empathy.
The case has revived painful memories in Germany of Niels Högel, a former nurse and serial killer who was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2019 for the murders of at least 85 patients.
International
Venezuela Raises Earthquake Death Toll to 6,301
The death toll from the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 6,301, while relatives continue searching for missing people among the rubble of collapsed buildings, parliamentary leader Jorge Rodríguez said Monday.
So far, the Venezuelan government has not released an official figure for the number of people missing after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, which caused around 190 buildings to collapse, most of them in the coastal state of La Guaira, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Caracas.
The latest figure represents an increase from the 6,125 deaths reported by Venezuelan authorities on August 3.
According to statements made to local media by La Guaira Governor José Alejandro Terán, around 1,400 people were still missing just over a week ago.
Thousands of homes remain at risk
In addition to buildings that completely collapsed, authorities have classified another 9,567 structures as being at «high risk». Meanwhile, 12,411 homes remain under a «restricted» classification.
As a result, many families who lived in these properties have been relocated to temporary shelters or have sought accommodation with relatives and friends.
Nearly 24,000 people left homeless by the disaster are currently living in camps in Caracas and La Guaira, a popular tourist destination whose economy has been severely affected by the earthquakes.
The situation sparked renewed concern among Venezuelans on Monday after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, with its epicenter in Colombia, was felt across several regions of Venezuela.
The earthquake in Colombia left at least 111 people dead and dozens injured, according to preliminary figures released by authorities in that country.
International
CEAPI Backs Colombia’s New Government and Calls for Greater Public-Private Cooperation
The Ibero-American Business Alliance Council (CEAPI), led by its president, Núria Vilanova, participated in the inauguration ceremony of Abelardo de la Espriella as Colombia’s new president. The events were held on August 7 in Cali and brought together heads of state and institutional representatives from numerous countries.
CEAPI maintains a strong relationship with Colombia as part of its mission to serve as a meeting point between Ibero-American business leaders and the region’s main institutions and governments. The organization has more than 25 members in Colombia, including Jaime Gilinski, Luis Carlos Sarmiento, Omar González and Diego Urrea. In addition, Colombia hosted the seventh CEAPI Ibero-American Congress, held in Cartagena de Indias in 2024.
During his inauguration speech, President De la Espriella identified confidence and economic stability as key pillars of his administration and emphasized the role of private enterprise in Colombia’s future.
He also reaffirmed his intention to govern for all Colombians and strengthen institutional dialogue, while referring to Spain’s democratic transition and the leadership of former Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez.
Vilanova said she has seen this commitment firsthand during meetings with members of the new government, who have expressed their willingness to work closely with business leaders and the private sector to promote economic growth.
According to CEAPI, the government is considering measures aimed at strengthening legal certainty and business confidence, encouraging investment and promoting formal employment.
For Vilanova, Colombia’s new political and economic stage represents an opportunity to demonstrate that «when the public and private sectors are aligned, they can achieve more».
«Colombia has everything it needs to make it happen. And Ibero-American business leaders are ready to support it», she said, adding that CEAPI is already working with the government to organize a future investment delegation to the country.
The organization said the planned visit would seek to strengthen business ties and identify new investment opportunities in Colombia, reinforcing the role of the private sector in the country’s economic development.
German Authorities Investigate More Than 100 New Cases Against Convicted Nurse
Venezuela Raises Earthquake Death Toll to 6,301
CEAPI Backs Colombia’s New Government and Calls for Greater Public-Private Cooperation
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