Colombia Senate approves mental health law for medical residents

The Colombian Senate has approved a bill in its second debate aimed at protecting the mental health of medical and dental residents. The initiative, identified as Senate Bill 192 of 2025, seeks to establish a regulatory framework to identify, correct, and sanction behaviors that negatively impact the psychological well-being of professionals in training.

The legislation focuses on preventing abuse, harassment, and excessive workloads within medical residency programs and other professional training environments. This move follows several high-profile cases of suicide among residents, which highlighted structural failures in the training system. One notable precedent mentioned is the case of physician Catalina Gutiérrez, which previously led to efforts to regulate working hours and prevent harassment in university hospitals.

While the Senate has granted its approval, the bill must still undergo debates in the House of Representatives before it can officially become law.