Panama's Health Minister Announces Annual Increase in Medical Exam Passing Score

The minister stated that the passing score will increase each year until it reaches the levels that must command respect for medical professionals. He also added that the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Panama has been one of the best in the entire system. Following the announcement by the head of Health, Mathieu expressed her optimism that education will continue to improve in the country. Her statements came after Dr. Marianne Mathieu, who graduated first in her class among the new generation of physicians on Monday, expressed her concern about maintaining a minimum passing score of 45% for the exam. Minister of Health Fernando Boyd Galindo confirmed this week that the passing score for the Basic Certification in Medicine exam will increase annually. Strengthening education in the country is a goal that we must all have, he specified. In the recent graduating class, a total of 74 professionals received their doctor of medicine certificate. Of these, around 50% achieved an international score on the Basic Certification in Medicine exam. It should not be considered an adequate standard for the professionals who will in the future be responsible for caring for the population, Mathieu specified. According to the head of the Ministry of Health, they have already structured the proposal for the increase in scores, which will be gradual, although he personally wanted to do it all at once. Boyd assured that better scores will be achieved in less than two or three years. It corresponds to the government to guarantee higher training standards, Mathieu specified. The announcement is quite positive.