The current crisis of the health system in Colombia reveals deep problems in the organization, financing, and delivery of services. The fragmentation that characterizes it limits timely and equitable access, especially for the most vulnerable populations, affecting quality of life and increasing inequalities. Failures in management and coordination among the various actors hinder the effective implementation of public policies that truly transform collective health. For this reason, reforms to the health system must seek to overcome current shortcomings through greater integration, financial sustainability, and a renewed focus on prevention and primary care in order to achieve a more efficient and equitable system.

Within this national landscape, University Health Units represent a singular model within the special health regime. In Colombia there are currently eight Health Units in public universities—there were once ten—and only six of them simultaneously fulfill the functions of insurer and provider. The Health Unit of the University of Cauca, as a specialized dependency, is one of those six. Created under the protection of Law 647 of 2001, we serve faculty members, retirees, administrative staff, and their families under a scheme that allows us to guarantee insurance coverage and, at the same time, provide low-complexity services.

This dual function has enabled us to offer a model distinct from that of the general system: closer to our users, with clear care pathways, timely appointments, and warmth in service. We provide general medicine, specialties, dentistry, physiotherapy, pediatrics, nursing, and preventive programs, which allows us to care for our university community in a comprehensive manner. In addition, we manage our resources directly, which favors the availability of medications and the continuity of treatments, subject to national availability, without the administrative barriers that characterize other entities.

As a special regime, we are able to design our own processes, optimize resources, and reinvest them for the benefit of our community. This relative autonomy translates into a more agile network and the possibility of providing personalized and timely care, with quality standards and response times that are difficult to achieve in more massive and fragmented systems. This strength, however, challenges us to be increasingly rigorous in regulatory compliance, risk management, and the continuous updating of our procedures.

For this reason, our vision is fully aligned with the Institutional Development Plan 2023–2027 “For an Excellent and Supportive University,” especially with Axis 5: Modernization of Administrative and Functional Processes. We are advancing in the digitalization of procedures, interoperability with other well-being and occupational health units, the continuous training of our staff, and the rigorous measurement of our quality indicators. We seek to strengthen Primary Health Care and expand the coverage of our preventive programs, because we know that health begins with prevention and early support.

Just as the country is moving toward a profound reform to overcome the fragmentation and inequities of the general system, our Unit is also called to evolve in order to consolidate a model of its own that integrates closeness, quality, and efficiency. This means strengthening care pathways, reinforcing information systems, expanding the training of human talent, and above all, assuming risk management and process modernization as central pillars of our work.

More than a challenge, this moment is an opportunity to reorganize and adopt more comprehensive care models that strengthen our internal capacities, so as to continue projecting the Health Unit of the University of Cauca as a benchmark of excellence and solidarity. From Cauca we can demonstrate that it is possible to provide university health services with high standards, centered on prevention, quality, and the dignity of service, even amid the changes taking place in the national system.

At the Directorate of the Health Unit, there will always be space to address concerns and respond to situations that generate uncertainty or fear, especially in the current health context to which we have referred. Because our people are our most valuable asset, we keep our doors open to accompany and humanize the service provided, reaffirming that every administrative improvement and every transformation has as its central purpose the care of those who make up the University of Cauca; a university that is #HeritageOfAll.