Case 3.599-2001

The Appellants are HIV-positive and cannot afford the life-sustaining drugs needed to treat their condition. They submitted a protection order to the Court to require the Metropolitan Health Services to provide certain life-sustaining drugs.

The Court held that the appellants were not entitled to the medicine. The Ministry of health was mandated to create rules for access to medicines. The system the health authorities established does not grant the medicines to the applicants. To provide medicines to the applicants would cause the arbitrariness that the appellants complained about as they would receive medicine while others wouldn't. The Court emphasized that any decision must consider the people in a similar situation who are not before the Court. As the appellants did not provide budgetary evidence of arbitrariness within the whole policy, the Court deferred to the health authorities.

The Court held that the constitutional right to select a public or private health care system is not applicable in this case.

“6°) Que, en tales condiciones, los recursos de protección no pueden prosperar respecto de ninguno de los recurrentes, porque no se dan los presupuestos de arbitrariedad e ilegalidad que permitan su acogimiento, como se manifestó, ya que atañe a las autoridades de salud llevar a la práctica las políticas de salud diseñadas e implementadas por la Administración del Estado acorde con los medios de que disponga para ellos y con otros parámetros que no cabe dilucidar por esta vía;”

“6 °) That, under such conditions, protection resources cannot succeed for any of the appellants, because no budgets are given on arbitrariness and illegality that allow their placement, as stated, it concerns the health authorities to put into practice health policies planned and implemented by the State Administration in accordance with the means available to them and other parameters that cannot be elucidated in this way;”