Panama, December 17, 2025. – This Wednesday, December 17, the installation of the National Commission for Specialized Health was carried out, in line with the guidelines of the Panamanian State to promote a coordinated and harmonious management for the acquisition of medicines by the Ministry of Health (Minsa) and the Social Security Fund (CSS), in an orderly, equitable manner and for the direct benefit of the population. Julio Sandoval, advisor to the Minsa's Higher Office, representing the Minister of Health, Fernando Boyd Galindo, highlighted that the Commission is integrated by the Ministry of Health, the Social Security Fund, the National Directorate of Pharmacy and Drugs, the Boards of Trustees, the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT), and the National Federation of Associations of Patients with Critical, Chronic, and Degenerative Diseases. The National Commission for Specialized Health will seek to establish direct negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, with the purpose of obtaining better prices and guaranteeing the quality of medicines, especially high-cost drugs, innovative therapies, and biotechnological products, thus facilitating timely patient access to these treatments. 'The objective is for patients to have universal access to these medicines, without discrimination between insured and uninsured,' Sandoval stated. Likewise, he informed that bimonthly meetings have been planned, during which the internal regulations will be drawn up and each member of the Commission will contribute their experience and technical knowledge. After this Commission is installed, its internal operating regulations will be drawn up, in accordance with the functions established in Executive Decree No. 27 of May 10, 2024, which will be approved by the Ministry of Health by resolution. The news 'National Commission for Specialized Health Installed to Strengthen Access to Medicines' was first published in La Verdad Panamá.
