OFF THE CUFF: $17,420 hand out to security boss

Panama’s presidential discretionary fund has coughed up large sums of money for leading figures in government posts, who apparently don’t subscribe to health insurance plans or do not want to be treated in Social Security hospitals, or Santo Tomas, run by the Ministry of Health.

Among recent beneficiaries  of the largesse wa Rolando López, well  paid head of the National Security Council, for whom $17,420 was assigned.

The money came from the President’s discretionary fund  in  the first quarter of the year, as published on the Internet website at Internet presidencia.gob.pa.

There were four checks issued by the Ministry of the residency to cover Lopez’s surgery. First

Was $ 10,320, in favor of the Paitilla Medical Center, the second, for $ 4,500, in the name of Lacipa; Third, for one $1,000, in favor of Alberto Navarro, and the last one, for 1,600, in the name of Helen Correa. The first covered the costs of hospitalization of the head of the National Security Council, the other three paid the medical fees.

“Contrary to what happened in other governments, the current administration publishes in a timely manner  all expenses incurred.

In the case of Mr. Rolando López, this required  An emergency surgical intervention, so he requested financial support to perform it in the shortest time possible “, said , the Ministry of Communications.

According to the content of the last report, the Presidency used $ 3.7 million in the first quarter of this year for he discretionary items.

Of that amount, $ 2 million was used to support medical xpenses for surgeries for children and adults in Panama and abroad.

The remaining amount went to natural disaster mitigation and home improvements ($ 921 thousand);

Funerals ($ 41,000), local educational assistance ($144,000), sponsorship of cultural and sports activities

Local ($434000); sponsorship for cultural, educational and sports activities abroad ($77,000);

Conventions, forums, seminars, contests and tours abroad ($52,000), and conventions, forums, seminars,

Competitions and local tours ($10,000)