The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, would have rejected the demands arising from the Social Security Fund (CSS), where officials of that entity suggest 'controlling' the number of people studying medicine in the country's universities. 'There is a deficit of doctors in hospitals, in health centers, and in geographical areas of the country,' stated the Head of State. He indicated that they are gradually addressing the situation, as the budget allows, and especially regarding the professions that are 'throwing more doctors onto the street,' referring to those studying medicine. 'We are gradually fulfilling that objective to provide medical services in the country and opening spaces for residencies, which are the specializations of our general practitioners. It is useless to invest in hospital infrastructure if there are no doctors,' Mulino explained. In recent statements, the advisor to the director of the Social Security Fund (CSS) and Head of Teaching and Research, Paulino Vigil, stated that 'we must generate a control between what the country needs and the capacity to train these professionals.' For Vigil, there are too many medical schools in Panama and they are graduating or training too many doctors. Data: 2,149 health professionals, including doctors, nurses, and technicians. 326 residency positions for graduated doctors.
