During the 2024–2025 biennium, PAHO provided strategic technical cooperation to Panama to cohesively strengthen health stewardship and advance the transformation of the health system based on primary health care (PHC). This support contributed to the formulation and validation of the national health policy and its strategic guidelines for the period 2026–2035, grounded in a rigorous evaluation of the previous policy and in prospective planning and results‑based management methodologies. The new framework establishes measurable targets, reinforces transparency and accountability, and incorporates the Health in All Policies approach, addressing social, environmental, and climate determinants to improve the system’s response capacity.

In parallel, PAHO facilitated high‑level political dialogue that enabled Panama to institutionalize the Consultative Roundtable for Primary Health Care, becoming the fifth country in the Region to institutionalize this mechanism under the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas among PAHO, the World Bank, and the Inter‑American Development Bank. The mechanism consolidated an intersectoral governance platform to align technical cooperation, financing, and national investments, prioritizing the transformation of the first level of care, digital innovation, the strengthening of human resources, disease elimination, and the prevention and care of noncommunicable diseases. The convergence of a long‑term national policy with a governance architecture for PHC strengthens the State’s capacity to reduce access gaps, improve spending efficiency, and move steadily toward universal health.

Photo caption: A visit to a remote health center 

Credit: PAHO