$273 million outsourced against law by government hospitals boss

PANAMA’S Social Security services outsourced contracts for patient care for more than $273 million, although it was against the law.

 It happened during the administration of Guillermo Sáez-Llorens, who recently appeared before the National Assembly to answer questions from legislators. They got little satisfaction, as after he had spent over three hours praising his achievements as CSS director, he stonewalled questions or passed them on to his battery of attendants. Deputies wanted explanations about at least 37 deaths from KPC (a multi-drug resistant organism), after an international body had issued alerts and nine baby deaths in the maternity unit after the administration of a drug, about whixh Ministry of Health had issued warnings. http://newsroompanama.com/news/exiting-director-stonewalls-deputies-in-hospital-deaths
The most expensive service handed out to private companies was the care of patients with renal failure and the construction of 16 hemodialysis facilities amounting to $126 million.
Care of bedridden patients was outsourced, for $15 million.
Julio Osorio, the excoordinador of the National Negotiating Medical Commission said that outsourcing of services is contrary to Article 70 of Law No. 51 of December 2005, which governs the CSS.
He said that the problem is not the need to supply services through private enterprise when required, but that the authorities during the past five years have done nothing to solve existing problems.
Rafael Medina, representing retirees on the board of the CSS said he initially did not agree with the process, but it was allowed because the entity was failing to perform all of its functions.
La Prensa sought a statement from the CSS, but got no response to a questionnaire.