Visit of the Constitutional Court to Vaupés ends

In a couple of months the Constitutional Court will make a substantive decision on the health situation of the indigenous people of the southern department of Vaupés, it was officially announced on Tuesday.

According to the press office of the high court, after the judicial inspection carried out in Mitú by three of its magistrates, it is expected that, as soon as possible, there will be a decision regarding an appeal for protection filed in 2015 by the Ombudsman's Office.

The visit to the capital of Vaupu was led by Judge Gloria Stella Ortiz (substantive judge), who was accompanied by jurists Jorge Iván Palacio and Aquiles Arrieta.

In the tutela action, filed against several official entities related to health in Vaupés, the ombudsman Carlos Javier Bojacá argued that in that department “there is a deficiency in the provision of health services that violates and threatens the lives of its inhabitants”.

According to what he said at the time, “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 caused by snake bites) end in the amputation of parts of the body”.

The non-governmental organization Sinergias accompanied the diligence and provided a serious and judicious analysis based on evidence since its professionals were in that territory in southeastern Colombia between 2012 and 2015.

Luis Fernando Correa, one of the Vice Ministers of Health, was present in Mitú on behalf of the central government.

According to the doctor Pablo Montoya, director of Sinergias, the historic visit of the Constitutional Court 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.

According to official figures, Vaupés is a department with 42,000 inhabitants, 60% of whom are considered indigenous.