Panama made progress in the transformation of its health system during 2025, with key support from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)which promoted innovation, prevention and equity initiatives throughout the country.
He PAHO Annual Report 2025 details that the technical cooperation of the organization with the Ministry of Health (Minsa), the Social Security Fund (CSS) and other authorities, which made it possible to strengthen health services, expand coverage and advance protocols or plans for the elimination of communicable diseases.
Among the most relevant achievements, the country registered progress in the program “Goal: Zero Transmissions”where they approved to face 17 communicable diseases and consented to a resolution to confront the cervical cancer.
In addition, Panama consolidated digital transformation initiatives in health, developed public policies with a focus on results and strengthened primary care as the axis of the health system.
“In 2025, the alliance between Panama and PAHO will translate into more inclusive services, elimination of diseases and new frontiers in health innovation”.
The report also highlights advances in innovation, such as the use of drones to facilitate medical care in hard-to-reach communities and strengthening telemedicine through digital literacy plans for health personnel. The above is support from PAHO and the ministries of Health and Public Safety.
In terms of prevention, the country applied 350,626 doses during the Vaccination Week in the Americasreducing immunization gaps.
At a structural level, Panama formulated the National Health Policy 2026-2035aligned with international standards and focused on equity, access and coverage, with support from PAHO and multilateral organizations.
The report also highlights the integration of the health human resources information systemwhich for the first time offers a unified vision of healthcare personnel, which will improve the planning and distribution of professionals.
In parallel, the report highlights the momentum in specific plans such as acceleration for stop obesity and the integration of HIV services, with clear goals to eliminate transmission in the coming years.
The actions also included strengthening preparation for health emergencieswith tools to evaluate risks and improve hospital resilience.
From the community approach, the report collects stories that show cultural changes in health, such as increasing knowledge about HIV in the Ngäbe-Buglé region and the training of traditional midwives in indigenous territories.
The PAHO/WHO representative in Panama, Ana Rivière Cinnamondhighlighted that among the most significant achievements are: “The drive for digital transformation, progress in the elimination of 17 communicable diseases and the approval of the resolution against cervical cancer… Likewise, protocols for hypertension were implemented, Vaccination Week in the Americas 2025 was successfully coordinated, and key scientific cooperation agreements were consolidated.”
And he added that the above was achieved through joint commitment:
“The path towards universal health coverage requires resilience and joint will”.
For his part, the director of PAHO, Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr.stressed that these initiatives “they save lives” and contribute to social development in the region. “Digital health, primary care and mental health were strengthened, and progress was made towards the elimination of more than 30 prioritized diseases by 2030,” he noted.
The report concludes that, despite the progress, structural gaps persist that require continuity in public policies and international cooperation to achieve universal health coverage.
