In the televised Council of Ministers, President Gustavo Petro Urrego stated that there is no chaos in Colombia's health system, citing a continuous reduction in under-5 child mortality rates during his administration. Health Minister Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo presented figures showing a drop in malnutrition deaths, from 404 cases in 2022 to 160 in 2025.
President Gustavo Petro Urrego made these statements during the televised Council of Ministers on Monday, where he highlighted the success of the prevention-based health system implemented during his four-year term. According to official figures presented by Health Minister Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, the under-5 child mortality rate per 1,000 live births fell from 14.57 in 2022 (8,360 cases) to 11.93 in 2025 (5,255 cases), meaning 3,105 children were saved from death.
Petro emphasized: “Between 2025 compared to 2022, 244 children did not die in Colombia. If the 2022 conditions had persisted, those children would be in boxes, in graves.” He added: “And what have we done? Prevent. That is, the effort is in preventing. This is a matter of prevention.”
Regarding malnutrition deaths in children under 5, the national indicator dropped from 404 in 2022 to 160 in 2025. In La Guajira department, cases went from 96 in 2022 to 31 in 2025, attributed to the government model.
The president rejected claims of chaos in health, stating: “There is no chaos here; that is the central message of these figures. Liars are those who speak of chaos in health. The chaos is in the pockets of the EPS owners and their friends in the press; it is not in society.” He reiterated: “Here in numbers is exactly seen the great success of the Government in saving children from dying of hunger.”
Additionally, Petro defended the increase in municipal hirings, linked to Basic Health Teams (EBS) to serve the most vulnerable. Responding to opposition and media criticisms on rising spending, he said: “If what has grown the most in personnel contracted by the State [...] is people who care for health in general, of the most excluded population in Colombia, Basic Health Teams, what has grown is the care for Colombian people in health and their childhood.” He added: “That is not called wasting money, opposition politicians; how do you come up with that? It shows why they let so many people die in Colombia.”
These topics were discussed alongside child mortality reductions, outcomes from the Wage Vital Commission, and emergencies from floods in the Caribbean and Antioquia regions.
