Zarzal councilor Luis Carlos Arana, 29, suffers from colorectal cancer that has progressed to lung metastasis due to lack of treatment from Nueva EPS since October 2025. He has repeatedly requested oncological medications without response. Governor Dilian Francisca Toro urges the national government to take urgent measures amid this crisis in Valle del Cauca.
In Zarzal, a municipality in northern Valle del Cauca, the Nueva EPS crisis has severely impacted local leaders. Councilor Luis Carlos Arana, diagnosed with colorectal cancer about two years ago, has not received necessary medications since October 2025. This interruption has allowed the disease to progress to a metastatic stage in the lungs.
Arana, a 29-year-old father of a girl, has submitted multiple requests to the government-intervened entity but received no response. "This medication is important for my life, as it prevents the cancer from advancing further and helps control it," the councilor stated, noting he has been battling the illness for over eleven months without proper support.
This case adds to that of Mayor Alexander Gómez, who in January 2026 could not receive care for pancreatitis in his municipality and had to be urgently transferred to the Hospital Universitario del Valle in Cali. Nueva EPS, one of the most affected entities by shortages of supplies and medical services, leaves thousands of affiliates vulnerable.
Governor Dilian Francisca Toro highlighted both incidents to spotlight challenges in the health system, strained by financial pressures and high demand. "This episode exposes the difficulties faced by both citizens and health institutions," she noted, reiterating her call for urgent national government measures to address the crisis.
