Profort is the first orthopedic care center set up in Colombia by carewithinreach. Find out about our products, approach, impact, team, users and business model in this slideshow.

Profort is the first orthopedic care center set up in Colombia by carewithinreach, operating under the brand name Profort which stands for Professional Orthopedics. This one-stop-shop for orthopedic care offers a full range of orthopedic products and services.

Profort will open in Tunja Colombia in Q3 2020. There are currently no other certified orthopedic care centers in this area, patients must travel long distances to other cities in order to be attended. We are able to drastically reduce travel times and costs, by being located in a secondary city, creating access to care in the vicinity of people’s homes. We plan to open 2 more clinics in Colombia in 2021.

Profort will improve the overall quality of life of those living in rural areas by helping them to regain their mobility through readily accessible high quality care. We manufacture and adapt external orthopedic technology devices of excellent quality, providing four different product lines:

• orthoses
• prostheses
• mobility aids devices
• and soft goods

Our products are characterized by being functional and responding to the needs of users in situations of a temporary or permanent disability. This covers a wide range of causes from congenital diseases, non-communicable diseases or injuries (work, traffic accidents, armed forces or landmines), such as: diabetes, vascular diseases, cerebral palsy, stroke, osteoporosis, herniated discs, fractures of the vertebrae of the spine, or loss of a limb.

At Profort we prioritize high quality care and patient safety. We not only manufacture devices that support clients carrying out daily activities or work; the strength of Profort is providing a comforting, empathetic and customer-friendly environment, offering appropriate rehabilitation from start to finish.

Colombia has strict laws when it comes to running an orthopedic clinic. The INVIMA certifies orthopedic clinics in Colombia. We took all the requirements in account while creating the orthopedic care center. Also, we created over 20 protocols defining our way of working.

Edilberto Virguez is managing director of the clinic in Tunja. Having grown up with a brother with a disability himself, he knows how important it is to have access to quality care. 

• Edilberto Virguez is managing director of the clinic in Tunja. He is a CPO (Certified Prosthetist & Orthotist) and worked over 9 years in the orthopedic sector in Bogotá, manufacturing prostheses and orthoses. He is part of the Association for Orthopedic Practitioners Colombia.

• Carlos Zuñiga holds an MBA and has 10 years of experience in the orthopedic industry. He supports us with market research and compliance.

• Merel Rumping supports the team in all areas of operational and commercial activities.

Profort has three types of clients:

• Healthcare insurance companies, called EPS in Colombia
• Other clinics in Bogotá that serve patients in Tunja –where we are based. They have contracts with insurance companies and contract us as a subcontractors
• Private clients.

Through this mix, we aim to have a balanced source of income.

Over 60.000 people in Tunja and the neighbouring towns are in need of temporary or permanent orthopedic care. Our research has shown that one clinic will treat over 7700 patients in 5 years, whilst creating local employment, outside the capital cities. We plan to open 2 more clinics in Colombia, reaching out to 25.000 patients in the coming years. As a social enterprise, 10% of our profit is donated to clients who have limited access to care. Also, we are able to support our clients in knowing their rights and coverage of the mandatory health plan in Colombia.