OPINION: Throwing crumbs to  science

The scientific knowledge and high training of Panamanian researchers have been essential to face the pandemic. Our talent has innovated in the face of an unforeseen crisis, which some more developed countries have not been able to properly attend to. Panama would have had a much better response if the previous governments had granted the required budget for science and research. 

Instead, our scientists receive crumbs as a result of a public finance process that belittles true development. Both the National Secretariat for Science, Technology, and Innovation (Senacyt), and the Gorgas Commemorative Institute for Health Studies, year after year they have observed proposals and reasonable aspirations to improve the scientific environment colliding with bureaucrats and minions deputies, who have known how to ask for increases for their trifles but have turned their backs on science. Still, in the midst of the pandemic, scientific institutions have to beg ” and pass the hat to fulfill the objective of protecting us. The new budget cycle is about to start. Sufficient funds must already be committed to improving science in Panama. – LA PRENSA,  May 24