According to a statement from the Social Security Fund (CSS), the institution that serves retirees and pensioners, the director of the entity, Dino Mon, announced the program.

In statements to the TVN news network, the official explained that the decision responds to the lack of response from Panamanian doctors to the calls made in recent months to fill available positions.

“We have to fill 71 specialist positions, and we are opening the door, as the law stipulates, to specialists from abroad,” he emphasized.

Mon detailed that the CSS issued at least five calls for applications in October, December, and January.

However, the necessary number of healthcare professionals could not be recruited, particularly to work outside the capital.

Given this situation, he said, the institution will opt to recruit foreign specialists, in accordance with current legal mechanisms, to guarantee medical care in areas where a shortage of specialized personnel persists.

In this regard, he indicated that the process is already underway and is awaiting the corresponding approval from the Health Ministry, a necessary step to formalize the international call for applications.

The CSS director emphasized that this measure seeks to address a long-standing need of the public health system, particularly in regions where the lack of specialists has been a constant problem.

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