Panama’s public health system is actively recruiting dozens of medical specialists, including foreign doctors, to address critical staffing shortages. The Ministry of Health (Minsa) and the Caja de Seguro Social (Social Security Fund) announced the joint call this week, aiming to fill 71 vacant positions nationwide.
This urgent measure follows several unsuccessful recruitment attempts between October 2025 and January 2026. Authorities now seek both full-time and part-time professionals for hospitals and polyclinics in multiple provinces.
Nationwide Shortages Prompt Foreign Recruitment
Available positions span key specialties like anesthesiology, cardiology, pediatrics, internal medicine, and obstetrics. Postings are distributed across regions including Bocas del Toro Province, Colon, and Chiriqui. Officials confirmed they will evaluate foreign applicants due to insufficient interest from Panamanian doctors, a process governed by national professional laws.
National candidates must submit documents at the CSS headquarters in Clayton. Foreign doctors must apply through the General Directorate of Public Health in Ancon. The official call will publish in print media for three consecutive days, with detailed vacancy information available on the CSS portal.
“The country has an urgent need for specialists, especially in provinces like Bocas del Toro and Colon, where even with new hospital infrastructure we cannot meet the demand for care,” said Marcos Young, Director of Health Benefits for the CSS. [Translated from Spanish]
Young explained the stark reality behind the numbers. A hospital in Colon with a 500-bed capacity currently operates only 200 to 225 beds because specialist staff are missing. Bocas del Toro continues facing dire shortages in gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatrics.
System Strains Under Specialist Exodus
The recruitment crisis is not new. Young revealed approximately 300 medical specialists have broken their service commitments to the public system over the past five years. These doctors received state-funded training. This exodus highlights deep systemic issues and prompts calls for a revised medical training model.
The open call will run for an initial three months, with a possible 30 to 60 day extension. Contracting the needed 71 specialists requires an estimated investment of five million dollars.
Both institutions are deploying stopgap measures. The CSS is training general practitioners in specialized areas and expanding medication access to alleviate pressure on specialists. These strategies offer only partial relief.
“There are interventions that only a specialist can perform, so it is urgent to fill these positions to guarantee care for the population,” Young stated. [Translated from Spanish]
His comments underscore a simple truth. Supplementary measures cannot replace highly skilled specialists for complex procedures. The patient backlog grows without them.
In a parallel effort, the Santo Tomas Hospital (HST) opened its own competition for 43 permanent posts. These include specialists, sub-specialists, and general practitioners. Needed fields range from infectious diseases and critical medicine to neurosurgery and pathology.
Panama’s Ministry of Health (Panama) and CSS now face a dual challenge. They must immediately attract talent to understaffed regions while crafting long-term solutions to retain locally trained doctors. The success of this recruitment drive will directly impact healthcare access for thousands of Panamanians in the coming year.