Patient Rights in Colombia: Records and Complaints

Colombian law protects clear information, informed decisions and access to the medical record. These rights appear in Ley 1751 de 2015, article 10; the complaint route depends on the issue.

This is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed doctor about your health.

What patient rights cover

Article 10 includes dignity, privacy, clear communication and information about procedures and risks. It also covers explanations of treatment costs and information about complaint channels, with a written response. Required emergency care cannot depend on prior payment or presentation of a document. That rule does not make all later treatment free.

Who this guide applies to

The law covers users and others involved in protecting the right to health. This guide explains general routes for patients in Colombia, including visitors. It does not decide a claim or promise a remedy. For travel preparation, see medical tourism in Colombia. For EPS coverage questions, see the insurance guide.

Steps to understand consent and get records

Review informed consent

Ley 23 de 1981, article 15 requires consent for the medical and surgical treatments it describes, except where obtaining it is not possible. It requires an advance explanation of the consequences. Article 14 addresses surgery involving minors, unconscious patients and other cases described in that text, with an emergency exception. Those provisions do not resolve every case involving capacity or minors; ask a Colombian lawyer about the applicable rules.

1. Request the clinician's explanation of the proposed care and its risks.
2. Ask for clarification of words or conditions that are unclear.
3. Request a copy of the written consent for the planned intervention.
4. Keep that copy with the clinical documents.

Resolution 1995 of 1999, article 11 lists surgical consent among medical-record annexes. A signed form alone does not explain whether the patient received clear information. For language arrangements, use the medical tourism guide.

Request a copy of the medical record

The medical record (historia clínica) is confidential. Ley 1751, article 10(g) gives the patient free access to consult the full record and the right to obtain a copy. Resolution 1995, articles 13–14 places custody with the provider that created it. It addresses copies for the patient or legal representative and limits access by others under the law.

1. Identify each provider that holds records of the care.
2. Send a written request through that provider's records or patient-service channel.
3. State the patient's identity and the dates or episode of care.
4. Specify the records requested, including relevant annexes, reports and consent documents.
5. Provide the identity or representation evidence the provider needs to protect confidentiality.
6. Request a secure delivery method.
7. Keep the request, its receipt and the response.

A travel companion is not automatically the patient's legal representative. Permission to share records needs separate attention. A request for copies also differs from a request for translation. This page does not promise free translation.

Steps for each complaint route

Issue	Route to examine	Important limit
Health-service access or a patient-rights concern	Provider's patient-service channel and Supersalud.	The PQRD portal is not an emergency-care service.
A doctor's or dentist's professional conduct	The relevant medical or dental ethics tribunal.	Ethical discipline differs from compensation.
A consumer contract or advertising dispute	SIC or the competent court, where consumer jurisdiction applies.	Special health rules and another authority's powers can control.
Compensation for alleged medical harm	Legal assessment of the appropriate liability route.	A general complaint does not itself decide damages.

Supersalud: health-service complaints

The Supersalud PQRD page offers a health-access complaint, petitions and information requests. It also provides tracking by filing number (radicado). The access category refers to users of Colombia's social health-security system. Its complaint against a Supersalud official is a different category.

1. Record the facts in date order.
2. Identify the provider and the service or right at issue.
3. Request a written response from the provider through its patient-service channel.
4. Open the Supersalud PQRD page for the relevant complaint or petition.
5. State the problem and the response sought. Include any prior request and reply.
6. Attach relevant evidence through the official channel.
7. Keep the filing number for follow-up.

These are general preparation steps, not a requirement to wait for a routine response in an urgent situation. If the form's categories do not fit private treatment, ask Supersalud which authority or petition route applies. For a clinic's missing service authorization, also use the REPS verification steps.

Medical and dental ethics tribunals

MinJusticia identifies the medical ethics tribunal for the place of the events as the disciplinary route. Medical and dental professionals have separate tribunals. Ley 23, article 74 and Ley 35, article 70 allow a person's request with at least preliminary evidence of the alleged ethical breach.

1. Identify whether the complaint concerns a doctor or a dentist.
2. Confirm the competent regional tribunal for the place of the events.
3. Write the facts in date order with the professional's name and the location.
4. Add the complainant's identity and contact details.
5. Attach supporting evidence, such as relevant records, prescriptions or correspondence.
6. File through the channel published by that tribunal.
7. Keep proof of filing and answer any request for further information.

MinJusticia says a lawyer is not required to file a medical ethics complaint. Ley 23, article 83 and Ley 35, article 79 list disciplinary sanctions. Those sanctions differ from an award of compensation. Ask a Colombian lawyer about the separate route for alleged harm. Confirm the competent tribunal and its current filing channel before sending documents.

SIC: only where consumer law and jurisdiction apply

Ley 1480 de 2011, article 2 gives special sector rules priority and applies consumer law as a supplement. Article 59 limits SIC's administrative powers where another authority has express competence. Paying privately does not by itself make every medical dispute a SIC case. A Colombian lawyer can assess a contract or advertising claim separately from a medical-harm claim.

1. Confirm that the dispute falls within consumer law and the chosen authority's powers.
2. Collect the contract, advertisement, invoice and correspondence.
3. Identify whether the aim is an administrative investigation or an individual judicial remedy.
4. Make the direct claim to the provider required before a consumer action under article 58.
5. Keep proof of that claim and the reply. The article gives the provider 15 working days to respond.
6. Confirm the current filing channel with SIC or the competent court before submitting a judicial action.
7. File the action with its supporting records through that channel.
8. Keep proof of filing.

Ley 1480, article 58 governs consumer actions where that route applies. A filing alone does not establish jurisdiction or a right to repayment. An administrative report and a judicial action have different purposes.

Costs and documents

This guide sets no fees or compensation figures. Ask for a written quote for any lawyer, expert report or translation. The file can include the quote, invoices, consent, medical records, dated correspondence and prior filing receipts. Send sensitive health documents only through the relevant official or provider channel.

Deadlines

Different claims have different time limits. Article 58 has separate rules for guarantee, contract and other consumer actions. Its 15-working-day response period concerns the direct consumer claim; it is not a universal health-complaint deadline. Ask a Colombian lawyer about the applicable filing limit. Do not assume that one complaint pauses every other limit.

Common mistakes and exceptions

Missing records do not by themselves prove negligence. A medical ethics complaint does not concern a dentist. A disciplinary case does not automatically produce compensation. Consent, representation and access to records have exceptions, including emergency situations and lawful third-party access.

Sources

Checked on 25 October 2026: Ley 1751; Ley 23; Ley 35; Resolution 1995; Supersalud; MinJusticia; Ley 1480.

Educational information, not legal or tax advice. Ask a Colombian lawyer or accountant for your case. This is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed doctor about your health.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a patient obtain a copy of the medical record?

Yes. Ley 1751 protects free access to consult the full record and the right to a copy. Request it from the provider that holds it. Identity and representation checks protect confidentiality.

Does informed consent always require the same form?

No universal form is claimed here. Medical ethics law has consent requirements and exceptions. The medical-record rules include surgical consent among the annexes.

Does an ethics tribunal award compensation?

Medical and dental ethics laws provide disciplinary sanctions. Compensation uses a separate liability route. Ask a Colombian lawyer which route applies to the alleged harm.

Can I take every private medical complaint to SIC?

No. Special health rules and the authority with jurisdiction matter. Consumer law applies subject to those limits. Private payment alone does not settle jurisdiction.

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