Unlicensed Doctors, Dentists and Vets practicing in Panama

Unlicensed Doctors, Dentists and Vets practicing in Panama
PANAMA’S Ministry of Health has reported receiving a number of complaints about people practicing dentistry and veterinary medicine without licenses.
In some cases, serious medical complications have arisen from people receiving questionable dental care.
 The Ministry said that, in some of the cases, the people offering the services are foreigners who have not been accredited by local agencies. Itza Barahona de Mosca, secretary of the Technical Board of Health, said that the complaints presented have been verified.
The requirements for the Technical Board of Health for a license to be granted are: be a natural or naturalized person, be a graduate from a recognized university, pass a certification exam and have completed two years of internship.
The news follows the exposure of an unlicensed doctor performing plastic surgery in Chiriqui and another man without medical qualifications running a pediatric clinic and even getting a MoH communications job before being exposed.
The latest revelations have been denounced by both the Panama Orthodontic Association and the Association of Veterinary Doctors. Health officials said that the areas that have received the most complaints are rural areas of Colón and Chiriquí.
In the case of veterinary care, officials said the practice has seemed to focus on the care of horses.
Germán Castillo, a member of the Asociación Panameña de Médicos Veterinarios, said this has put the animals at risk and called for penalties to be imposed on those practicing without a license.