President Petro claims his administration has achieved what "no other president could" by improving children's health: How true is this?

Yesterday, Sunday, during the inauguration of the fourth term of Congress, President Gustavo Petro defended his administration's actions in early childhood health care and asserted that in three years, his administration has improved the system, presenting indicators that, according to him, demonstrate significant progress in saving the lives of thousands of babies and children.

"Here I feel proud as an individual, because as president of Colombia I can show you perhaps what no other president could do: that in three years we managed to save the lives of thousands of babies, boys and girls who would have died if we hadn't implemented the reforms, if we hadn't dared, if we hadn't even suffered for governing," the president stated.

I can show you perhaps what no other president could do and that is that in three years we managed to save the lives of thousands of babies, boys and girls.

He also announced that healthcare will be the central topic of a debate in the coming days. “Today we have three years of experience. And we can say that many of these things work, and they work well. And I'm going to prove it to you,” he said, before presenting several data points and charts showing the evolution of the system during his administration.

During his speech, Petro asked the Minister of Health to stand and requested applause for him. Later, on the social network X, the head of state defended that "the results seen through the fundamental indicators of morbidity and mortality stopped their decline a decade ago, despite scientific advances."

However, these statements have been questioned by experts such as Harvard University public health researcher Johnattan García-Ruiz and former Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria, who, based on historical data, deny that the progress is exclusive to the current administration or that it halted a decade ago, as Petro claimed.

A key point, both experts noted, is that health indicators, especially infant mortality, have shown a sustained decline for 20 years, not just in the last three years of the Petro administration.

According to García-Ruiz, while it's true that infant mortality has decreased during this administration, the overall trend in the system is toward a decline in this indicator, thanks to overall progress in gynecology, obstetrics, and early childhood health.

“It's true that it's decreased (great news), but we've been declining for 20 years. It's decreased in 15 out of 20 years. For now, this indicator during the Petro administration is very similar to that of previous ones. In 2024, it decreased less than it did in 2023,” García-Ruiz explained.

In this sense, what the data show is that the improvements are part of a marked trend, and the current government's results do not show a significant break with those of previous administrations.

For his part, Alejandro Gaviria accused Petro of manipulating data: “President Gustavo Petro isn't telling the truth. He's lying. He says health indicators haven't improved in ten years. Look at the graph. It's a lie,” the former minister emphasized, presenting UN infant mortality figures that clearly show how this scourge has steadily declined since 1991.

Gaviria also pointed out that the use of provisional figures, such as those used by Petro during his presentation to Congress, distorts reality, as they do not reflect a complete analysis of historical trends. According to Gaviria, the president's narrative omits the context of previous efforts by other governments, which have significantly contributed to health progress.

“The most recent figures, without adjustments, usually have large underreporting, which invalidates the comparison shown. The president interprets this problematic comparison as evidence of his administration's achievements. A rigged interpretation. It also fails to take into account the improving trends that have come before,” Gaviria added.

Finally, García-Ruiz added that, in any case, the current government's performance on key indicators such as infant mortality is not exceptional. "For now, this indicator during the Petro administration is very similar to that of previous ones," he stated, emphasizing that the improvements are not exclusive to this administration.

Environment and Health Journalist