Failing health system sends  top reseacch scientist to US

Gorgas Institute, scientific researcher and director Néstor Sosa who last week expressed his continuing disappointment with Panama’s health service.

has confirmed that he will continue his career in the hospital of the University of New Mexico in the United States.

Among his reasons, he revealed to La Prensa his disillusion with the state of health care in Panama.

“What he says is that he did not see himself returning to a place where getting an appointment with him would take three months and that there would be no supplies for diagnoses,” said Jorge Motta, director of the National Secretariat of Science and Technology (Senacyt).

 Amador Goodridge of the Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology Services of Panama (Indicatesat) said  Sosa’s departure for a university in the United States demonstrates the value they give to Panamanian scientists and confirms that there are “scientists of caliber” in our country.

Dr. Néstor Sosa was head of the Infectious Diseases department of the Social Security Fund and, a promoter in the search for antiretroviral treatment against HIV AIDS in Panama.

He also led the team of researchers that discovered the cause of the massive poisoning with diethylene glycol.

Sosa told La Prensa, that positions of hierarchy in health are politicized, and mentioned that governments do not promote scientific and technological development due to ignorance of the benefit that science can bring in Panama. “The research facility is very poor and research funding is low,” he said t

Other contributions made by Sosa are related to the development of new drugs to fight infections. He was awarded in Miami for his contributions to Panamanian public health.

During his term of office, he managed to obtain the best budget for the last decade, several investigations of noncommunicable diseases were carried out

and he promoted the need to build the new Gorgas campus. 

“What he says (Sosa) is that he did not see himself returning to a place where getting an appointment with him would take three months and that there would be no supplies for diagnoses,” said Jorge Motta, director of the National Secretariat of Science and Technology (Senacyt). 

 Amador Goodridge of the Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology Services of Panama (Indicasat) Sosa’s departure from a university in

the United States demonstrates the value they give to Panamanian scientists and confirms that there are “scientists of caliber” in our country.

Dr. Sosa was head of the Infectious Diseases department of the Social Security Fund (CSS), a promoter in the search for antiretroviral treatment against

HIV AIDS in Panama. He also led the team of researchers that discovered the cause of the massive poisoning with diethylene glycol.

La Sosa indicated to La Prensa,  that positions of hierarchy in health are politicized, also mentioned that governments do not promote scientific and technological development due to ignorance of the benefit that science can bring in Panama.

Other contributions Sosa are related to the development of new drugs to fight infections. He was awarded in Miami for his contributions to Panamanian public health.

During his term of office, he managed to obtain the best budget for the last decade, several investigations of noncommunicable diseases were carried out and he promoted the need to build the new Gorgas campus.