OPINION – Pandemic chivalry

With the sudden change of leadership in the Ministry of Health and the creation of an advisory commission at the presidential level, the technical scientific work of the advisory committee that supported the management of the former Minister of Health ceased. That is a political decision, which in no way should ignore the work done and the experience gained during almost four months of fighting the pandemic. It would be highly responsible to continue the advice and scientific analysis ad honorem that the members of that ministerial group shared. The mere presence of any of them guarantees transparency and favors the continuity of successful efforts. It would be a chivalrous act and a gesture of high politics that the ex-minister be invited to join the new presidential committee. The situation we face as a country requires extraordinary measures, including the sacrifices of political vanity and the distancing of vested interests. If a patient needs life-and-death medical care, they will seek out the best doctors, not their friends or favorites. Panama needs the maximum attention from the best talents.