A tense confrontation is unfolding in the Health subcommittee of the National Assembly, where nursing technicians and surgical technologists are in an open dispute over the future of Law 255. This bill seeks to grant legitimacy and professional recognition to surgical technologists. While technologists defend the project as a necessary step to dignify their work and pave the way for a bachelor's degree, which would strengthen their knowledge and improve patient care, the health sector on the other side has raised alarms. The National Association of Nursing Practitioners and Technicians (ANPATE) and the National Association of Nurses of Panama have firmly rejected the proposal, warning that it encroaches on functions historically performed by nurses in the operating room. According to these guilds, nurses not only play a key role during surgeries but also accompany the patient from their entry into the operating room to their recovery, so they fear that the law's approval will displace them professionally. The debate has escalated to a critical point, with both sides defending their turf in the health system and pressuring the deputies. The discussion of Law 255 not only exposes a struggle for professional recognition but also a direct battle for control of functions within the country's operating rooms.
