In Panama, medical students are protesting due to issues with scholarship contracts. A group of 28 students, with the total number of affected individuals reaching 120, held a demonstration in front of the main IFARHU office. The students, who began their studies in 2022, claim their contracts were never formalized. As a result, universities are demanding payment of outstanding debts and have blocked their access to systems, preventing them from enrolling for the new semester. The students warn they have only this week to resolve the problem. The situation is complicated by a new regulation that took effect in January 2025, which eliminated the old financial aid program. IFARHU's Secretary General, José Bravo, explained that the students must be transferred to a new socioeconomic scholarship program, but the process depends on legal reviews and will take time. Many of the students come from low-income families and have invested three years in their education, which is now at risk.
