MEDIA WATCH: Panama resources squandered

Hoyporhoy, La Prensa, March 25

AS IS KNOWN, the Hospital City  project lacks access to safe drinking water and electricity service. In addition, it is still disconnected from roads and highways to facilitate the movement of patients and staff who will work in the hospital complex.

Now the Social Security Fund has had to hire a firm to advise it on the kind of clinical equipment to be purchased for the optimal operation of new hospitals. This situation seems a carbon copy of the contracting for the enlargement of  Tocumen International Airport. There, they have taken appropriate management decisions and steps to salvage the project and make it viable for the country’s service.

The legacy of public works and government initiatives without planning will be with us for decades. Tocumen, S.A., clearly demonstrates the roadmap to be followed by all institutions. If officials have no commitment to transparency and good management of state affairs, they will continue squandering valuable resources, to the detriment of all.