Colombia health system faces negligence lawsuit and psychiatric hospital food protests

A young couple in Montería filed a criminal complaint alleging medical negligence at the Fundación Amigos de la Salud after their premature baby died days after birth. They claim the clinic failed to provide continuous obstetric care, that staff were unavailable during labor, and that clinical records were inaccurate.

Separately, the National Commission for Mental Health and Addictions (Conasama) said that recent protests by staff at the Dr. Juan N. Navarro and Fray Bernardino Álvarez psychiatric hospitals did not interrupt food services for patients. The commission highlighted that a public tender for a new food‑service contract has been issued and that it is working on a shelter project for patients' families, while denying any suspension of nutrition provision despite workers' accusations of inadequate meals and alleged corruption.

Both events underscore ongoing concerns about the quality of health care delivery and oversight in Colombia.