[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › [Paediatric nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/pediatric/) › Ley 1388 de 2010: the right to life of children with cancer, early warning signs and the care route # Ley 1388 de 2010: the right to life of children with cancer, early warning signs and the care route - Law Colombia's law for children with cancer: immediate, integral care without authorisations, from the first suspicion of cancer until it is ruled out or treated. Updated Nov 13, 2026 ## Key points - Beneficiaries: people under 18 with confirmed cancer, certain serious blood disorders, or a suspected diagnosis until it is ruled out (art. 2). - No authorisation may be required for the integral care of these children (art. 3, as modified by Ley 2026 de 2020). - No waiting periods, co-payments or moderating fees for beneficiaries (art. 4). - Social support when treatment requires it: a transit home (hogar de paso), travel costs, psychosocial and school support (art. 13). - Resolución 418 de 2014 adopted the care route for children with suspected or confirmed leukaemia. ## What it is Ley 1388 de 2010, «Por el derecho a la vida de los niños con cáncer en Colombia», aims to lower cancer mortality in people under 18 by guaranteeing early detection and integral treatment in specialised childhood cancer units. It covers children with confirmed cancer and also those in whom any doctor suspects it, until the diagnosis is ruled out. Ley 2026 de 2020 (Ley Jacobo) modified it and made the care of children with cancer integral, priority and continuous. For nursing it matters at three points: recognising warning signs and referring without delay, helping families use their rights, and the social support the law provides. ## Key articles - Art. 1: the aim is to significantly lower the cancer death rate in children and people under 18 through early detection and integral treatment with standard protocols in specialised centres. - Art. 2: beneficiaries include children with suspected cancer when specialised tests are needed, until the diagnosis is ruled out; the treating doctor refers them to the cancer unit of the area. - Art. 3 (modified by Ley 2026 de 2020): a database for fast care; once a child is included, all procedures are given integrally and immediately, and insurers may not ask for authorisations. - Art. 4: from diagnosis until treatment ends, insurers authorise all services at once in the childhood cancer unit; delays are sanctioned. The unit also gives yearly influenza vaccination to the family and household. - Art. 5 and 8: childhood cancer units are in level III and IV paediatric hospitals; general practitioners and other specialists must refer a child with suspected cancer without delay. - Art. 12 and 13: national childhood cancer registry, part of Sivigila and of mandatory notification; social support with transit homes, travel, psychosocial and school support. ## What it covers - Who is covered and from when (suspicion, diagnosis, treatment). - Duties of insurers (EAPB), providers and territorial entities, and sanctions. - Childhood cancer units, the network and the tumour committee. - Information: database, registry and a unique national number for beneficiaries. - Social support and advisory councils (national and departmental). ## In nursing practice - Know the warning signs AIEPI asks about in every child and refer a suspected case at once; the law covers the work-up until cancer is ruled out. - Tell families that care must not be delayed by authorisations, co-payments or waiting periods, and guide them to the social worker. - Help organise the yearly influenza vaccine for the household and school support during treatment. - Record referrals and delays objectively; a delay that puts the child at risk can be reported to the authorities named in the law. ## Status and official text - Texto oficial verificado el 2026-11-13 en secretariasenado.gov.co (compilation with validity notes). - Published in Diario Oficial 47.721 of 26 May 2010; in force from its enactment (art. 16). The Constitutional Court reviewed presidential objections to the bill in Sentencia C-850 de 2009. - Modified by Ley 2026 de 2020 (Ley Jacobo): art. 4 replaced art. 3 and art. 6 changed literal l) of art. 14; that law also declared the integral care of children with cancer a priority. - Regulated, among others, by Resolución 2590 de 2012 (integrated network and information system), Resolución 4504 de 2012 (childhood cancer units) and Resolución 418 de 2014 (leukaemia care route), as cited by MinSalud. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Who benefits from Ley 1388 de 2010? People under 18 with confirmed cancer or certain serious blood disorders, and those with suspected cancer until the diagnosis is ruled out. ## Can an insurer require an authorisation before caring for a child with cancer? No. Art. 3, as modified by Ley 2026 de 2020, says no authorisation is required for their integral care. ## What social support does art. 13 provide? When treatment or tests require it: a transit home, travel costs, and psychosocial and school support. ## What should a nurse do when a child shows cancer warning signs? Report to the doctor so the child is referred without delay to a childhood cancer unit; the law covers the work-up. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/ley-1388-de-2010-the-right-to-life-of-children-with-cancer-early-warning-signs-a/) ## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - [Tumours of infancy and childhood](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/tumours-of-infancy-and-childhood/) ## Connections ## Related 1 - [The child with cancer: neutropenic precautions, mucositis, nausea, the central line and the family](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/the-child-with-cancer-neutropenic-precautions-mucositis-nausea-the-central-line/) ## Related conditions 1 - [Acute leukaemia (AML and ALL)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/acute-leukaemia/) [← All of nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Sources: [Ley 1388 de 2010, por el derecho a la vida de los niños con cáncer en Colombia (compilación con notas de vigencia)](https://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_1388_2010.html) (Secretaría General del Senado de la República de Colombia, 2010); [Ley 2026 de 2020 (Ley Jacobo), por medio de la cual se modifica la Ley 1388 de 2010](https://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_2026_2020.html) (Secretaría General del Senado de la República de Colombia, 2020); [Resolución 418 de 2014: Ruta de Atención para niños y niñas con presunción o diagnóstico de Leucemia en Colombia](https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/DE/DIJ/Resolucion-0418-del-2014.pdf) (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia, 2014). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/ley-1388-de-2010-the-right-to-life-of-children-with-cancer-early-warning-signs-a/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/ley-1388-de-2010-the-right-to-life-of-children-with-cancer-early-warning-signs-a/