{"id":16479,"date":"2026-09-08T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=16479"},"modified":"2026-09-08T14:34:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T19:34:53","slug":"president-mulino-considers-foreign-hires-amid-panamas-dire-doctor-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/health\/president-mulino-considers-foreign-hires-amid-panamas-dire-doctor-shortage\/","title":{"rendered":"President Mulino Considers Foreign Hires Amid Panama’s Dire Doctor Shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A private hospital investor has eight million dollars tied up in three operating rooms that cannot open, and President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino<\/a> says that stalled investment is just one symptom of the Panama doctor shortage now pushing his government toward foreign recruitment. Speaking on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, during an event to implement the country’s Internship Law, Mulino said Panama lacks enough doctors, nurses, and specialized technicians to meet growing demand, especially with a new public oncology facility set to open in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"President
President Mulino Considers Push for Foreign Hires Driven by Doctor Shortage. (By Panama A.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Panama Doctor Shortage Stalls Surgical Capacity Nationwide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mulino described a recent conversation with a shareholder in one of Panama’s largest private hospitals, an investor who has already spent $8 million on three surgical suites but cannot put them to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“Yesterday I spoke with a businessman, an important shareholder in one of the country’s largest private hospitals, and he told me: I have eight million invested in three operating rooms that I cannot operate because I do not have doctors, nurses, or surgical technicians.” [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The president said the investor has room to expand further but simply cannot find the professionals needed. That private-sector frustration mirrors gaps in the public system, where plans for advanced services are running ahead of the available workforce. Mulino said the shortage reaches beyond physicians <\/a>and includes nurses and specialized technical staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Jos\u00e9 F\u00e9lix Espinosa Hospital will be the first oncology center in the interior of the country. By Minsa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New Oncology Center in Chiriqu\u00ed Highlights Specialized Gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pressure is intensifying ahead of the scheduled October opening of the first public comprehensive oncology treatment center in Panama’s interior. The facility will operate on the grounds of Hospital Jos\u00e9 F\u00e9lix Espinosa Barroso in Bugaba, Chiriqu\u00ed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“In October, the month of cancer, which generates high-impact citizen awareness, we are going to inaugurate the first comprehensive oncology treatment center in the interior in the history of our country.” [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To make the center function, the government needs professionals trained in nuclear medicine and technicians who can handle specialized machinery. Mulino said those roles are hard to fill within Panama’s current labor pool, making the timing of the recruitment strategy critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n