Uruguay has implemented a new model for the rural zone of Orinoquía, which has a dispersed and majority indigenous population, and a National Rural Health Plan. Colombia, which is starting a similar process with the implementation of its new comprehensive healthcare system (MIAS) for remote areas, intends to integrate inputs from the Uruguayan experience into its process.

The visit, which included meetings in the Ministry of Health and hospitals, enabled a dialogue on training and management experiences in family and community medicine with the institutions in the health and education sectors that have been leading this process in Uruguay. In addition, the Colombian delegation took part in the 4th Ibero-American Congress of Family and Community Medicine, which was held the same week in Montevideo. There they identified key strategies that are applicable to the Colombian context.

This visit is within the support framework of of EUROsociAL, a cooperation programme of the European Union, for implementation of the Colombian Comprehensive Healthcare Model (MIAS), which represents the cornerstone of the reform of the country's General System of Social Security in Health. Beyond this visit, both countries expressed interest in continuing their bilateral cooperation to accompany the important reforms being undertaken in primary healthcare in Colombia and Uruguay.