Ecuador and Colombia health ministries roll out new occupational and abortion care regulations

Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health presented the Regulation of Integrated Occupational Health Services (SISAT) through Ministerial Agreement No. 00004‑2026. The rule replaces a 50‑year‑old framework with a preventive, comprehensive model that promotes safe, healthy and inclusive workplaces and aims to improve workers' physical, mental and social wellbeing.

Colombia's Ministry of Health and Social Protection issued Resolution 1575 of 2026, updating the procedures for voluntary interruption of pregnancy (IVE). The regulation shortens the maximum waiting period to five calendar days, expands the tasks that qualified nursing staff may perform, and adds specific provisions for indigenous peoples, ensuring timely, continuous and confidential care.