Drs demand action for Santo Tomas in crisis

MEDICAL SPECIALISTS at Panama’s leading hospital and medical school have sent an urgent demand to the Minister of Health for “extraordinary measures”  to solve “once and for all” the hospital’s shortcomings.

The doctors’ open letter to Michael Mayo, promises strong action if there is no immediate response and comes hot on the heels of  a teachers’ strike which brought the government to the negotiating table to sign a pay deal in time for President Juan Carlos Navarro and First Lady to take off on their latest European jaunt. But the doctors demands  are not pay related.

The Association of Medical Specialists wrote on Friday July 29 that the hospital remains in  “state of emergency” facing one of the worst crises of shortage that has been in  four years, and which is attributed to administrative and operational dysfunctionality.

The responsibility for this rests with  the Board of Santo Tomas  chaired by  Mayo, and the Association calls on him and the  General Medical Director of the hospital to take actions to improve the quality of care.

In May 2015, the Association announced the suspension of surgeries at Santo Tomas because of risks associated with deficiency of supplies and drugs.

The letter says this has generated the “demotivation and mistrust” of doctors, nurses, technicians and administrators of HST.

“You are out of time for anticipation, silence is not an option and are heralding the advent of coercive measures as a last resort, to the  seemingly indifferent attitudes of our local authorities, who now lead,  and are  led by  you,” says the letter