SOUTHCOM’s Together for Health Supports Hospitals in Colón and Coclé Provinces with Visiting US Medical Teams

This week, two new U.S. medical teams arrived in Colón and Coclé to provide medical care to more than 600 Panamanians.  These professionals are the latest to arrive as part of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)’s Juntos por la Salud (Together for Health) initiative – part of the United States’ expanded security cooperation with Panama.

In Colón, a team of two entomologists, one infectious disease specialist, one veterinarian, and one preventive medicine technician will work at the Amador Guerrero Hospital while, in Coclé, 17 doctors will provide inpatient assistance at the Aquilino Tejeira Hospital.  These providers include specialists in cardiology, family medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology. 

At the request of Panama’s Ministry of Health, SOUTHCOM is increasing its support in 2026 to reach all ten provinces and the Ngabe-Buglé comarca (an indigenous self-governing territory), expecting to serve over 10,000 patients nationwide, offering specialties ranging from dental care to cardiology.

SOUTHCOM mission “Juntos por la Salud” began November 17, 2025, with the arrival of a trauma team to the Nicolás Solano Hospital in La Chorrera.  That team will also continue its service in Panama, having relocated on January 19 to San Miguel Arcángel Hospital in San Miguelito, Panama City, where it will provide trauma care until April 2026.  Throughout the year, the trauma team will continue to rotate through public hospitals across Panama, offering three months of trauma support at each facility.  Meanwhile, the four-member endoscopy team supporting San Miguel Arcángel Hospital since December 9, 2025, will now support Santo Tomás Hospital until February 9.