Bill to lower certification bar opposed by 41 medical societies

The Medical College of Panama and 41 medical societies have issued a joint communique – saying that a bill to modify the certification and recertification regime for health professionals and technical specialists – is harmful and threatens the health of the Panamanian population

The project, which last week entered the agenda of the plenary session of the  National Assembly for its second and third debate, maintains the aspiration of deferring the medical certification for after the internship “In the careers that have this requirement and in the other careers, once the title is obtained ”.

According to the organizations, the certification exam “ is an international tool that, in addition to guaranteeing the quality of the professional who enters the health system, also serves to evaluate training universities and match studies and teachings within such a delicate profession in charge of the Health”. Likewise, it allows assigning internship places based on academic merits.

Therefore – the unions expressed in a statement – postponing the certification exam, after the internship is over, endangers the most vulnerable population in the country. They indicated that since the examination was applied “no doctor during the internship has been dismissed or expelled for professional incompetence.”

Thus, the Medical College of Panama and the 41 medical societies requested that bill 525 be immediately withdrawn from the National Assembly and not to proceed with its discussion.

The project – promoted by PRD deputies Mariano López and Crispiano Adames – has been the target of criticism in recent weeks.

On March 5, a resolution of the Inter-Institutional Council for Basic Certification in Medicine lowered the score to pass the pre-internship exam but, after questioning, that resolution was repealed.