Constitutional Court makes a bid for the health of the indigenous people of Vaupés

In an unprecedented event in the judicial history of the country, the Constitutional Court went to Vaupés in the development of an appeal for protection of the health of the indigenous communities of that department in southeastern Colombia.

According to an order of the high court published on its web page, it was a judicial inspection on Monday and Tuesday in the community of San Miguel, in the Pirá Paraná area, and in Mitú, capital of Vaupés.

The proceedings, which began around 9:00 a.m., are in charge of magistrates Gloria Stella Ortiz (substantive), Jorge Iván Palacio and Aquiles Arrieta.

The tutela action was filed in October 2015 by the ombudsman of Vaupés, Carlos Javier Bojacá, against several national and departmental entities related to health issues in that region of the country.

According to what Bojacá said at the time, “in the department of Vaupés there is a deficiency in the provision of health services that violates and threatens the lives of its inhabitants”.

According to the official, “the indigenous population (of Vaupés) has been seriously affected because the late or non-existent health care has generated that, for example, snake accidents (or accidents caused by snake bites) end up in the amputation of parts of the body”.

Prior to the visit to Mitú, the Constitutional Court had requested concepts from several entities on the issue of the health of the indigenous people of Vaupu.

Two of them were the Legal Clinic of Environment and Public Health of the University of the Andes and the non-governmental organization Sinergias which, headed by its director, physician Pablo Montoya, recently sent to the high court a 27-page document in which he provided a serious analysis for the judicial inspection and in which he highlights the lack of availability and access to health services by most of the population of Vaupés.

According to the official, “the indigenous population (of Vaupés) has been seriously affected because the late or non-existent health care has generated that, for example, snake accidents (or accidents caused by snake bites) end up in the amputation of parts of the body”.

According to official figures, Vaupés is a department with 42,000 inhabitants, 60% of whom are considered indigenous. There are a total of 27 communities, some of which are on the verge of physical and cultural extinction.

The Constitutional Court's historic visit to Mitú and its surroundings will set a precedent to vindicate the rights of the indigenous population and the urgent need to implement comprehensive solutions that are planned and executed under a differential approach and built together with the communities and local authorities.

“We have courts that can solve complex problems,” observed Johnattan García of the Universidad de los Andes. “The visit (of the Court to) Vaupés is a wake-up call for the State and Colombians, an opportunity to take ownership of our territory,” he emphasized.