Treat, support and resolve, these are the verbs that Dr. Marcela Granados Sánchez, general director of the Valle de Lili Foundation in Cali, has learned to conjugate since her childhood, best hospital center in the country in 2025, according to the recent measurement of the American magazine News week in collaboration with global data company Statista.
The analysis, in which the Colombian hospital obtained 92.97 points (out of 100), measures 2,445 institutions from 30 countries. In terms of global position, Valle de Lili occupies 149th place. In another important measure, carried out by consulting firm Intellat, it ranked fifth in Latin America.
Born in Popayán, Granados grew up and studied in Medellín thanks to her parents’ professional commitments, he was a doctor and she was a dentist. In his house there was always study, rigor and service. As a child, she accompanied her father on his visits to patients’ homes. This experience directly influenced his decision to study medicine, as it did with his sister and, years later, with his daughter.
The children’s games revolved around these worlds, always oriented towards the service that their loved ones offered and which they witnessed. This sensitivity was reinforced by his other passion: music. Since she was a child, Granados played the piano: “My father said that the world needed more musicians because it needed more humanism. But I decided to apply to medicine with the conviction that it was my path to contribute to society.”
She is a qualified surgeon from the Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, specializing in internal medicine, critical medicine and intensive care. Additionally, he holds a master’s degree in business administration with a dual degree from Icesi University and Tulane University in New Orleans. Her husband is an administrator, her daughter is an emergency specialist and her son is a musician and composer. “They and my grandchildren are an important driving force in my life. I believe that time is the only thing that cannot be reclaimed, and that is why I take great care of quality spaces with them.”
He arrived in Cali in November 1992 as an intensivist, when doctors Martín Wartenberg and Vicente Borrero, founders of Valle de Lili (1982), then in the Centenario district, were recruiting the best specialists from various regions of the country. They found her at the Santa Fe Foundation in Bogotá, where she worked in intensive care: “They marked my professional career. I learned a way of running a hospital that transformed my practice through humanism, clinical rigor and the strategic vision of health at the service of the community.”
Two years after his arrival, Granados took over as director of the intensive care unit (ICU). She is convinced that a good hospital is one that puts the person at the center. As Dr. Borrero told him: “Here we don’t treat diseases, we treat sick human beings. When this is understood, excellence, quality and innovation are the result of rigorous and compassionate work. This is the path we have chosen to follow all these years.”
He has always been drawn to caring for adults and seriously ill patients. It is for this reason that before completing his first specialization, he was already directing an emergency department in a large clinic in Medellín, in the midst of the terrorist war. “The intensity and responsibility of this historic moment showed me that intensive care was my vocation – he said -. This step confirmed to me that caring for patients in serious condition required a combination of technical knowledge, serenity and clarity in decision-making.”
During these years, he witnessed the first deaths, the opportunity to test the serenity and empathy that every health professional must have: “My father taught me that death is part of life and that accompanying the end is a medical act as important as saving. Understanding this allowed me to find a balance between professional serenity and human compassion.
Medellín and Cali have been the main centers of violent escalation resulting from clashes between drug trafficking cartels, a litmus test for all health professionals: “At different times in our history, and even today, violence and conflict have significantly marked the demand for specialized health services. In this sense, our principle has always been to serve everyone, without any distinction.
Empathy, as she repeats, is one of the characteristics that, according to her, every health professional must possess: “A patient is a person at their maximum physical and emotional vulnerability. This is someone who trusts us to regain their health and peace of mind. This is why our responsibility is not only technical. With families, the first thing is human relationships. We must speak with transparency and tailor information to each person.
When he became head of the ICU, they only had eight beds, but the needs in the southwest of the country led them to grow rapidly to 200. “It was a clinical, administrative and human challenge, and a commitment to the region,” he adds. “Today we face challenges related to technology and innovation applied to the healthcare sector. » These beginnings in Cali showed him that he had natural management skills. Dr. Borrero, the executive director at the time, encouraged her to pursue a master’s degree in administration, strengthening her leadership.
Valle del Lili, which in addition to its main headquarters has others throughout Cali (on Avenida Estación and in the El Limonar and Tequendama neighborhoods), and another in the municipality of Jamundí, is a non-profit foundation, with more than 8,000 collaborators, including around 800 doctors and specialists. “The community is our owner,” says Granados, which means all resources are reinvested in improving care, technology, human talent and social programs. “Financial, social and environmental sustainability are essential to achieve this goal,” he explains. “The support from the business sector has enabled us to achieve our goal. »
The model, which has made it an example and a reference in Latin America, is based on four pillars: “Excellence in health care, education, research and deep social commitment. Strong governance, exceptional human talent and a long-term vision,” he says.
In 1998, the formal intensive care training program was created, in alliance with the Universidad del Valle, which she directed until seven years ago. As of 2017, it is one of the 13 university hospitals that exist in Colombia, according to the certification issued by the Ministries of Education and Health, and medical students from Icesi University complete their training there. Each year, they welcome 800 undergraduate students and 200 foundation physician fellows, who advance medical-surgical specialties.
More than 10,000 professionals have been trained through the program they call “Deep Alliance for Life”, specialists who work in different regions of the country and the world: “Several of the studies published by the unit are among the Top 10 most read and consulted in the field of intensive care in the world. According to the Scimago ranking, we are number one in the country for the quantity and quality of scientific publications,” he reveals.
From 1996 to last year, 268 heart transplants were performed at the Foundation, a total of 2,551 kidney transplants, 1,437 bone marrow transplants, 1,173 liver transplants and 44 lung transplants.
Today, when health is more at the center of debates than before, Granados advocates the elimination of polarization and tensions between actors in the system. “Colombia needs a model that guarantees equity, access, sustainability and efficiency. Resources are limited and the system must adapt to demographic changes. The discussion must focus on patients and not on political positions,” he says.
Another challenge is to ensure the sustainability of the Foundation and expand its impact, so that technology, knowledge and excellence transcend: “Programs such as “Padrino Hospital” allow us to support more than 404 hospitals in 24 departments of the national territory. This shows that it is possible to transform entire communities, with education and telemedicine. treatment of cardiovascular diseases. This is our goal: to be where they need us most.
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