By Dr. Victor Raúl Castillo Mantilla
CEO and President, Hospital Internacional de Colombia – FCV
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Building institutions that respond to Latin America’s true needs is not only a technical task; it is an act of historical responsibility.
For decades, gaps in specialized care have shaped the health outcomes of millions across our region. Limited access, system fragmentation and reliance on imported models showed us—time and again—that what was missing was not knowledge, but determination. From that understanding came our conviction: If the solutions did not exist, we had to create them.
The Hospital Internacional de Colombia (HIC) represents precisely that: a strategic commitment from Colombia that demonstrates medical excellence can be built with a distinct vision, international standards and a strong sense of purpose. It is about leading from our reality, with the conviction that knowledge, innovation and rigor can also be born here—and reach the rest of the world.
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On October 30, 1997, we took a defining step with the inauguration of our first hospital center: the HIC Cardiovascular Institute. That day, while standing alongside Columbia’s then-president, I understood that this dream—so often questioned for seeming “too ambitious”—was no longer an illusion but instead, a project of national interest. As the ribbon was cut, images crossed my mind: children who had undergone heart surgery under precarious conditions, international trips in search of alliances, countless nights of financial planning and repeated insistence that “it can’t be done.”
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That day, we did not celebrate a milestone; we began, with determination, an even greater challenge: to become a world-class hospital—without having to leave Colombia to do so.
Excellence Without Compromise
From the beginning, we understood that our unique difference had to come from the philosophy that guides our work every day: We would not trade excellence for convenience. Even when resources were limited, we chose rigorous training, demanding clinical protocols and continuous improvement.
The greatest lesson we learned from our journey to build a cardiovascular center of excellence is that it goes beyond buildings and technology. It is built by committed people and a shared purpose. I witnessed how our teams—physicians, nurses, technicians and administrative staff—embraced the mission as their own: not only to care for patients, but to reshape the trajectory of local health care under global standards. It’s clear that clinical quality must go hand in hand with human-centered care.
A Clinical Journey Shaped by Decisions and Purpose
Our hospital was born with a question: How do we do what is right, within the context we are in?
The first step was to build a cardiovascular center capable of addressing a critical national need. For years, high-complexity cardiac care was beyond the reach of thousands of patients. What began with congenital heart surgery evolved into a model grounded in diagnostic precision, multidisciplinary clinical judgment and comprehensive patient care.
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Then came structure. We standardized processes, developed high-performing teams with strong problem-solving capacity, created specialized units and built clinical measurement systems for every intervention. At the same time, we fostered a medical culture that endures to this day: excellence is non-negotiable, evidence guides decisions and the patient remains at the center of it all.
After structure was expansion. We increased both volume and complexity. We developed programs in cardiac surgery, advanced heart failure, ventricular assist therapy, transplantation and rehabilitation—all integrated within a coordinated clinical ecosystem. Overtime, international patients began to arrive. What brought them was the model’s ability to resolve complex cases, but what defined their experience was the care itself: precision, healing environments, efficient timelines and a deeply human clinical culture.
That growth did more than allow us to treat a higher number of patients—it prepared us to manage cases of greater complexity, many with no other option within the national system. It was at that point that we took a transformative step. The opening of Hospital Internacional de Colombia (HIC) was conceived not as a physical expansion, but as an institutional evolution. Its inauguration represented the consolidation of a clinical model grounded in technology, knowledge and humanization.
Outstanding Clinical Outcomes and Cardiovascular Innovation
A true referral center is defined by verifiable outcomes. At our first hospital, the Cardiovascular Institute, clinical indicators speak for themselves. In myocardial revascularization, for example, the postoperative mortality rate of 1.1 percent reflects the surgical survival rate of over 98 percent. In 2023, this rigorous clinical approach was recognized by the international Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) Award, which distinguished our comprehensive model for acute myocardial infarction care. The recognition was based on a concrete result: an in-hospital mortality rate of just 3.95 percent, a rate notably lower than global averages.
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Care volume also reflects leadership. With more than 14,000 surgeries annually across all specialties and hundreds of complex cardiovascular procedures, the Cardiovascular Institute has built a strong and sustained experience curve. Heart transplant outcomes have been consistent: 31 procedures were performed in 2023 and 24 in 2024, reaching a cumulative total of 285 heart transplants since the first procedure was performed in 2004 to date. This trajectory reflects not only operational capacity, but also clinical continuity, comprehensive patient management and sustained outcomes over time.
Beyond volume, our leadership has been built on innovation. In 2014, we marked a turning point with Latin America’s first total artificial heart implant, transforming the approach to advanced heart failure. In 2025, our cardiovascular surgeons made history again by performing the first implant in the Americas of the CorHeart 6 device—the smallest and most advanced artificial heart in the world. With this milestone, Colombia became the fourth country in the world to incorporate this next-generation ventricular assist technology, expanding options for patients awaiting transplantation and saving lives in critical scenarios.
These advancements are part of a strategy that combines cutting-edge technology, stepwise clinical protocols and a patient-centered approach. Our therapeutic capabilities—ranging from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and ventricular assist devices (VADs) to heart transplantation and specialized rehabilitation—operate within a single ecosystem, ensuring seamless clinical continuity without fragmentation, which is essential for safety and recovery.
Patient stories reinforce this impact: Individuals admitted in cardiogenic shock and treated sequentially with ECMO, VAD support and transplantation have survived and regained quality of life thanks to this coordinated, comprehensive model.
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Other cases—such as children who have undergone two heart transplants in their early years—demonstrate the team’s ability to manage extreme clinical complexity, with measurable outcomes in survival and quality of life. These results—measurable, replicable and sustainable—have consolidated HIC Cardiovascular Institute as the country’s leading heart transplant center and a regional reference in advanced cardiovascular innovation.
International Certifications and Centers of Excellence
From the outset, we understood that if we aimed to deliver the highest level of cardiovascular care, we had to benchmark ourselves against the best in the world. Declaring standards was not enough—we had to prove them, sustain them and continuously elevate them.
That is why, in 2009, we earned Joint Commission International (JCI) hospital accreditation—the most demanding global standard for quality and patient safety, and a goal that, at the time a goal, seemed distant for Colombia. Since becoming the first hospital in the country to receive this distinction, we have renewed the accreditation six consecutive times. Maintaining the Gold Seal of Approval places us among fewer than 1,000 accredited institutions worldwide. In Colombia, only nine hospitals have obtained it.
We also designed a model of internationally certified clinical centers of excellence aligned with the region’s most pressing health needs. Today, we have nine programs validated by JCI as “Centers of Excellence,” the highest possible distinction for a clinical service.
Some of our programs have been global pioneers: We were the first hospital in Colombia (and the second in the world) to certify our myocardial revascularization program. Sixty-three percent of our bypass procedures are performed off-pump, reducing risk and accelerating recovery. We also earned international certification for our pediatric heart transplant program—the only one outside the United States to achieve it—after more than 60 interventions in children, many of whom had no other therapeutic option.
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Our centers of excellence also include programs in heart failure, ventricular assist therapy, acute myocardial infarction, ECMO, liver and kidney transplantation and an advanced stroke center. A key differentiator has been our immediate response capability: HIC is the only institution in the country with its own air ambulance for the simultaneous transport of patients and organs. This logistical capacity, combined with clinical rigor, has enabled us to meet global standards with local efficiency.
In 2024, HIC was included by Newsweek in its list of the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals in Cardiology. Being part of that select group not only validates the strength of our cardiovascular programs, but it also demonstrates that world-class medicine is possible in Latin America.
Achieving an international accreditation for the first time is an enormous challenge. Renewing it continuously and making it part of institutional identity is an even greater one.
Safety, Experience and Transformation: Leading With Evidence and Empathy
Our integrated model also makes a meaningful difference. With more than 60 specialties, multiple institutes and advanced technologies on a single campus, we provide continuous care without fragmentation or unnecessary transfers. A critically-ill patient can be diagnosed, treated surgically, admitted to a specialized ICU and followed through rehabilitation without leaving the hospital. This improves the patient experience, shortens length of stay, reduces complications and improves clinical outcomes.
One example is our Heart Failure Center of Excellence—the largest in the country—which currently cares for more than 4,000 patients. Through an integrated approach and standardized protocols, nearly 50 percent of these patients stabilize and improve cardiac function without requiring transplantation, while another 45 percent maintains good quality of life with medications or implantable devices. Only a small minority—around one percent—requires transplantation or an artificial heart. Even those who are not eligible due to age or comorbidities receive personalized home-based follow-up. This demonstrates how a complex chronic condition can be managed with both clinical efficiency and human sensitivity.
We also believe there can be no quality without knowledge. That is why we invest decisively in research and professional training. In 2023, HIC was recognized as the second institution in Colombia and the fifth in Latin America for biomedical knowledge production. Despite budget constraints in science, we have sustained a corporate university that provides continuous clinical, academic, and leadership training for health care professionals, along with innovation laboratories and our own research lines.
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In addition, we actively participate in public health initiatives, preventive education and organ donation awareness. We organize outreach programs in remote regions, promote healthy lifestyles—such as through the Half Marathon—and work with authorities to influence evidence-based health policies.
A Shared Vision to Transform the Region
We do not plan to stop. Our strategy toward 2030 includes developing 100 centers of excellence and reaching a place among the 100 best hospitals in the world. This goal is a roadmap to continue raising standards, inspire other institutions and deliver increasingly safe, compassionate and effective care to patients across our region.
In the end, what remains are tangible opportunities—stronger local health systems, expanded access to specialized care, and the development of regional expertise. This is how Latin America can stop looking outward and begin leading from within. That is, and will continue to be, our mission.
Dr. Victor Raúl Castillo Mantilla is a member of the Newsweek CEO Circle, an invite-only executive community of subscribers.
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