Last year, the narrative was: 'It wasn't a lack of money, but a lack of empathy.' Today, after 12 months of continuous work, the modern and equipped building shows what many doubted would arrive: a hospital with more than 30 offices, over 100 beds, 15 hemodialysis chairs, 15 for chemotherapy, advanced technology operating rooms, a CT scanner, and one of the most precise MRI machines in the country. 'I am very proud because this gives me life,' said a breast cancer survivor patient, who will now be able to receive care without traveling to David or Panama. In Bugaba, Chiriquí province, President José Raúl Mulino launched a clear and urgent message: the unification of the Ministry of Health and the Social Security Fund must be done now, because the duplication of structures is affecting those who need dignified care the most. 'I want that integration to work and fast,' he said in front of doctors, authorities, and neighbors, marking the start of the inauguration of the new Hospital de Bugaba, a project that had been abandoned for years and which today finally opened its doors. Mulino started by thanking the people of Bugaba 'who never gave up' and went on to recognize the workers who pushed the project forward when it seemed impossible. He recalled that a year ago he promised he would return to inaugurate the hospital: 'I am here, thank you for your dedication and persistence.' He also mentioned the Riga construction company and the National Bank, which financed the work 'without paying on credit,' as he said, highlighting that the project was resumed with seriousness after more than a decade of delays. The president emphasized that it makes no sense to build duplicate hospitals: 'Why have a MINSA hospital here and another Social Security Fund one across the street?' Other neighbors said that for the first time they feel that someone has kept their promise: 'After 12 years of being abandoned, today it is a reality.' For the medical staff, the change is also historic: 'We will have modern infrastructure, faster care, and without people having to pay extra,' affirmed a doctor from the area. One hospital, yes… but also justice Mulino closed by remembering that this hospital is not just cement: 'It is a repair for a people who waited too long.' Bugaba received more than just a building: it received proof that when you want to, you can… and that health, as the president said, cannot continue to be divided into two institutions that do the same thing. That makes no sense. Work as if you were a single institution.'
'From abandonment to hope.'
