The Ministry of Health and Social Protection ( es, Ministerio de Salud y de Protección Social) is one of the sixteen national executive ministries of the

Government of Colombia The Government of Colombia is a republic with separation of powers into executive, judicial and legislative branches. Its legislature has a congress, its judiciary has a supreme court, and its executive branch has a president. The citiz ...

, and is responsible for coordinating and implementing the national policy and social services relating to

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organ ...

and

social security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

History

Upon assuming the Presidency of the Republic in his first term (2002-2006), President Álvaro Uribe Vélez decided to merge the Ministries of Health and Labor into the Ministry of Social Protection. The two ministries that made up the Ministry of Social Protection were the Ministry of Labor, created by Law 96 of 1938, and the Ministry of Health, created under the name of Ministry of Hygiene by Law 27 of 1946 and later called the Ministry of Health. With the passage of Law 1444 of 2011, the Ministry of Social Protection was split into two; according to article 7 of said law, the Ministry of Social Protection was transformed into the Ministry of Labor, and according to article 9 of the same law, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection was created.

Location

Previously, when the Ministry of Social Protection had not been separated, it was located at Carrera 13 No. 32-76 in the city of

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

. Currently the Ministry of Health is located at the same address, while the Ministry of Labor has its headquarters at Carrera 14 No. 99-33.

Ministers

Below is a table of all past ministers, the time in which they served and the presidents who appointed them into office. Noted that the head of Ministry of Social Protection prior to 2011 is also listed:

References

Colombia, Health and Social Protection Colombia, Health and Social Protection Colombia, Health and Social Protection 2002 establishments in Colombia {{Colombia-stub