Building the social health movement in Colombia, 1998-2020

Abstract

This national case study of Colombia from 1998 to 2020 used document analysis, interviews, and participant observation to describe the complex process of shaping a social movement that struggles for health. Theoretically, the study adopts a relational perspective that links the focus of the political dispute and the constructivist view to understand the constitution of the social health movement and its relationship to the processes of shaping health policy. The article is structured on framing the consolidation of the neoliberal development model and the structural reform in health during a period of domestic armed struggle and political contention established between the sectors defending the reform and those that reject it and demand a change that guarantees the right to health. The article proceeds to identify and analyze five periods of dispute, each characterized by changes that deepened the market model in health, with the reconfiguration of actors, repertoires for action, and internal tensions that have persisted over time. The conclusions are that this collective actor’s identity addresses health as a fundamental human right and that given the heterogeneity of actors and demands, it has been difficult to consolidate an articulated platform of struggle that can reverse the market reforms. In addition, given the link between health and social determinants, it appears insufficient to demand universal health systems, thus requiring the expansion of the platform of struggle.