'Social Emergency' reforms declared unconstitutional http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/8747-social-emergency-reforms-declared-unconstitutional.html

Colombia's Constitutional Court on Wednesday declared that President Alvaro Uribe's implementation of a "social emergency", his plan to reform to country's ailing healthcare system, to be unconstitutional.According to the court, Uribe's arguments calling for the need to implement a "social emergency" are not strong enough to enforce the declaration.The court explained that the biggest fault of Uribe's emergency declaration is that the crumbling healthcare system in Colombia was not an unforeseen event, meaning Uribe should have resorted to the traditional legislative channel, the Congress, in order to pass healthcare reforms.

In addition, the court found that the reforms Uribe seeks to implement will not solve the underlying problem of the health care system in Colombia.Uribe's proposed healthcare reforms have caused heated debate across Colombia, with many of the country's medical workers arguing that the executive orders should not pass because they are a violation of patients' rights, and others questioning the legitimacy of the proposed emergency reforms.

Uribe, who was aware about the possibility that the Constitutional Court may throw out his emergency reforms, announced in early March that he would hammer out an agreement with Congress to pass his proposed healthcare reforms. Uribe also said also said that the reforms will be one of his administration's top priorities until July 20, when he leaves office.As of yet, no such agreement has been made.

comment-also see...The Consequences of Neoliberalism COLOMBIA: IN VIVO TEST OF HEALTH SECTOR PRIVATIZATION IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD http://www.itg.be/itg/Uploads/Netwerken/HS/doc/4/ref%204.9%20De%20Groote%20T%20et%20al._IJHS_2005_Colombia%20-%20in%20vivo%20test%20of%20health%20sector%20privatization.pdf