Pasto ambulance companies accused of racing for insurance profits

In the city of Pasto, Colombia, five ambulance companies are reportedly engaging in a dangerous competition to reach victims of traffic accidents first. This practice, described as a ‘hunt for patients,’ is driven by the high profitability of the Mandatory Traffic Accident Insurance (SOAT).

Citizen watchdog Alberto Ortiz reports that for every patient treated following a road accident, these companies can obtain monthly payments ranging between 7 and 9 million pesos. This financial incentive leads multiple ambulances to race through city streets, often violating traffic signals and endangering pedestrians and other drivers to secure the most lucrative cases.

Payments are processed through the SOAT insurance or, in cases where vehicles lack coverage, through the Administradora de los Recursos del Sistema General de Seguridad Social Adres.