By Lara Holmes

The President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, on Tuesday asked the new Minister of Health, Beatriz Londoño Soto, to have as one of the priorities of her management of the hospital system the recovery in the country making a great effort for hospitals under intensive care.

The request was made by the Head of State during the inauguration of the official, who was in the presidential palace, along with the new director of the National Planning Department, Mauricio Santamaria.

He said he received a message from the National Academy of Medicine in recognizing the progress of the health system, but also warning about the problems that remain.

In the letter, members of the Academy refer to the tough situation facing the hospital network, public and private, and that has to do with what the payments that are made to hospitals. There has been an effort, but we must make a greater effort, just because we have seen that there are too many hospitals under intensive care, he said.

President Santos said that they need to make a very efficient way to try to recover these hospitals again.