The August 10 earthquake caused damage to homes, infrastructure and health centres, but also placed health sector workers contracted through service provision contracts (OPS) or outsourcing arrangements in a situation of economic vulnerability. The Colombian Medical College publicly issued a call to the National Government to adopt urgent measures in response to this situation.
The professional association requested action for health personnel hired through OPS or outsourcing who were left without income or labour protections as a result of the disaster. The proposed measures include mechanisms for job stability, economic subsidies and relief from social security contributions, with the aim of preventing temporary or permanent job loss from worsening the economic consequences of the earthquake.
Reports following the earthquake indicated damage to hundreds of health centres in addition to thousands of homes destroyed or damaged. Workers hired through contracts that depend on the continuity of an institution's operations face a particularly complex situation when the entity is affected, suspends activities or temporarily modifies its operations.
Weeks before the earthquake, the Ministries of Finance, Labour and Health had issued External Circular 20 of 2026 with guidelines on certification of affiliation and payment of independent contractors to the General Social Security System in Health. The Medical College now proposes that in an extraordinary situation such as the earthquake, mechanisms should be studied to ease this burden for those who lost their income.
