“Health demands solidarity, and we co-operatives know all about that”

Alfredo Arana Velasco

The company’s Executive President explains the keys to its successful management.

For those unfamiliar with Coomeva, what is its main activity?
Coomeva is a Colombian co-operative enterprise group made up of 17 companies with more than 3,000,000 affiliates and 15,000 direct employees in 24 regions of the country. The parent organisation and majority owner of the group’s companies is Coomeva Cooperativa, founded in 1964 by a group of 27 doctors in response to their need for health provision and pensions. The co-operative brings together professionals from all disciplines. It provides them with mutual solidarity and protection services, and also offers exceedingly comprehensive opportunities and solutions for education, housing, entrepreneurship and business development, travel and tourism, leisure and culture.

The other companies of the Coomeva group provide their members and other customers with financial savings, credit and investment services, through Bancoomeva and Fiducoomeva, protection and insurance with Coomeva Insurance Brokers, and both mandatory and voluntary health insurance, the latter being provided by our company Coomeva Medicina Prepagada. We pioneered this service in Colombia in 1975, and remain the population’s first choice, while also establishing an international profile.

What are the main challenges faced by the Coomeva co-operative group?

All the interview on page 16of our COMPARTIR magazine.