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Panama is the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to provide vaccination with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine to young adolescent girls, free of charge. As part of collaboration between UNICEF and the Panamanian Ministry of Health, among other partners, public health centers will offer the preventive vaccination to all girls aged 10 and 11.

On October 27, 2008 Panama’s president Martin Torrijos announced Panama’s plan for vaccination of young women in order to prevent cancer of the cervix.

According to the UNICEF web site, “HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer. In Latin America and the Caribbean, more than 86,000 cases of the disease are detected yearly, and 33,000 women die from it—one every four hours.

“This year, a Nobel Prize was awarded to Harald zur Hausen for his research on cancer of the cervix, which uncovered the role of Papilloma viruses. [Vaccination by] the vaccine developed on the basis of this research protects against two types of cervical cancer.”

UNICEF states that the vaccination project in Panama, the first in Latin America or the Caribbean, will hopefully encourage other nations to provide vaccinations also.

According to UNICEF representative in Panama, Mark Connolly, “Other countries have yet to do so, primarily due to the cost of the vaccination regimen. But when one analyzes the longer–term cervical cancer treatment costs, this seems to be a very prudent and smart move.

“Panama is demonstrating that it is not too expensive to prevent the number-one cause of cervical cancer [by vaccination], and thus is involved in a public health intervention focused on young female adolescents that will have an important short and long–term impact on Panamanian youth.”
At the program’s launch, where more than 100 adolescents underwent vaccination, the President of the Republic of Panama, Martin Torrijos, told gathered dignitaries that no Panamanian should have to die because of cervical cancer.

Panama Health Care

Panama has a national health care system. Health care is heavily subsidized with general medicine office calls usually around a dollar a visit. Vaccinations are also subsidized or free. Many medications requiring a prescription in the USA (thus a visit to the doctor) are available over the counter in Panama. In addition Panama has an excellent private health care system. Many of Panama’s physicians trained and are certified in the USA, Canada, or Europe. Panama City is a referral center for much of Latin America and hospitals such as Punta Pacifica Hospital have the same equipment and services as top quality US hospitals. In fact, Punta Pacifica has an alliance with Johns Hopkins University and Hospital in the United States.

Because of Panama’s top quality health care and because of Panama’s inexpensive health care Panama has become a well thought of destination for medical tourism. As a rule a person can come to Panama to get a medical or surgical procedure done at half the price they would pay in the USA. Then they get to convalesce in a tropical paradise.