Panama is Granted a $40 Million Loan to Modernize its Health System from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
The IDB anticipates that around 1.58 million people will benefit from “actions aimed at strengthening prioritized care pathways and medicines.”
The Executive Board of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved financing of up to $40 million to modernize Panama’s health system, expand its coverage and improve access in rural and indigenous areas, the international body reported on Friday. This is the first individual operation of a ‘Conditional Credit Line for Investment Projects’ of up to $120 million to “support structural reforms in the Panamanian health sector over the next 12 years,” according to the statement. The $40 million provided by the multilateral organization will be joined by $10 million in “local counterpart” funding (from the Panamanian government), which will raise the total investment of the program to $50 million.
All of this is aimed at “strengthening the financial protection of individuals, increasing the efficiency of the system and expanding care in indigenous and rural communities” as well as supporting “the process of integrating service delivery” between the Ministry of Health and the Social Security Fund. “In turn, the direct delivery of health services to indigenous and rural communities will be strengthened through staff who travel to these areas and teams that work permanently with the population” to benefit some 514,000 people in areas with a greater indigenous presence.
The program, according to the IDB, anticipates that around 1.58 million people will benefit from “actions aimed at strengthening prioritized care pathways and improving medicine management,” such as the incorporation of digital tools and the construction of six resilient health centers. Panama’s public health system is fragmented between the Ministry of Health, which serves the general population, and the Social Security Fund, which serves insured workers. Despite efforts to expand coverage nationwide, the most remote areas still lack robust infrastructure to provide quality services.
The Executive Board of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved financing of up to $40 million to modernize Panama’s health system, expand its coverage and improve access in rural and indigenous areas, the international body reported on Friday.
