Medication in Colombia

In my experience i was able to get my gout medication with no problem.  I enrolled in sura medical group and found them very efficient.  My Dr was great and made all my medications available.  Premium was 75K monthly.  Medication on the average 20k .  I think overall for us expat is very accessible to get our medication since we purchase with dollars.

Hello Alcvrdan, who did you work with at SURA to get enrolled?  *** WhatsApp

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Sorry for the delay.  I enrolled in SURA through a cooperativa but you can do it directly in their office in Armenia.  You will be required to a have a cedula, I do because my wife is Colombia and I have residency.  You can Google SURA medical group for locations in Armenia.  Hope this help.

Medications through Sura, easy peasy. Practically free!

Is there a definitive resource describing the Colombian health system? I've lived in Cali since my arrival in Colombia but am looking for a new location further north, possibly Armenia. I am a permanent resident with a CE and visa and qualified for Colombian citizenship as far as I know.

I've been with Comfenalco as my medical provider and have been quite happy with them. I currently pay $287,000/month which seems high compared to prices others quote but every time I've needed serious medical care I've gotten it. By serious I mean a heart stent and cataract surgery. My co-pay is about one month's insurance payment for major medical. I am taking two drugs, one quite expensive at a pharmacy, for which I pay nothing when I get them.

Quality health care is obviously important so I don't mind at all paying Comfenalco's fee considering what I've gotten in return.

What I've heard is that Comfenalco is local to Cali so if I move I don't know what I'd have to do to get the same services from a different insurer. I also don't know if pre-existing conditions are covered. These are the kinds of information I am looking for.

Comfenalco is not just local to Cali - Comfenalco is an acronym for a particular Caja de Compensación Familiar.  A Caja de Compensación Familiar is a private not-for-profit company (sin ánimo de lucro), and they are organized in many areas of Colombia to provide health and other services, although not all of them may provide assistance in all these areas:  Salud, Educación, Recreación, Cultura, Turismo, Deporte, Vivienda, Crédito.

There are 43 in Colombia, you can see them explained and listed here (scroll down), with their various abbreviations/acronyms or siglas such as Cafam (Bogotá), Cajacopi (Atlántico), Comfandi (Valle del Cauca), Cafasur (Tolima), Cafamaz (Amazonas):

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caja_de_C … n_Familiar

There is a Comfenalco for Armenia:

https://www.comfenalcoquindio.com/

Perfect. Thanks for the information.

In Colombia itvia easier to grt medicine than in the USA. You can go ti the pharmacy an get medicine without having a prescribtion, plus the cost isn't ridiculous like in the US. In the USA you need to pay for an office visit with a doctor and he have to prescibe you medicine othewise you can not get it. The cost of medicine in the US is through the roof. It is a wrip off.

Jan1mra wrote:

In Colombia it is easier to get medicine than in the USA. You can go to the pharmacy and get medicine without having a prescription...

True for most meds, they are sold over the counter in Colombia.

Some mind-bending meds* require a specialist doctor's receta especial to purchase them legally at most pharmacies in La República.

cccmedia


Initial citation was spell-checked.

*aka estupefacientes y psicotrópicos