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News > Panama

Panama: Nurses Continue to Protest Amidst the Pandemic

  • Medical personnel prepare to perform coronavirus swab tests at an express station in the district of San Miguelito in Panama City, Panama. August 25, 2020.

    Medical personnel prepare to perform coronavirus swab tests at an express station in the district of San Miguelito in Panama City, Panama. August 25, 2020. | Photo: EFE/Bienvenido Velasco

Published 25 August 2020
Opinion

The health workers will maintain peaceful protests until Wednesday to demand better biosecurity equipment and more personal protection supplies.

The Panama Nurses Association (Anep) and other health workers completed the second day of peaceful protests on Monday to demand several employment guarantees amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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"Although we have sent notes, communications and held meetings with the authorities explaining our concerns and situations, we do not feel that they gave us or to the community the security we need," Anep said.

The health workers will maintain peaceful protests until Wednesday to demand better biosecurity equipment and more personal protection supplies. The majority of the demonstrators serve in state-run institutions.

According to the Anep statement, four nurses passed away after contracting COVID-19 due to the scarcity of resources for frontline personnel.

"Support your nurse; from La Pintada, the protests have already started."
 

On the second day of protests, the nurses demand the payment of delayed wages and fair labor hours. They also requested quality gloves, facemasks, and medical gowns.

The protesters maintained social distance and other precautionary measures against the virus. Anep also started a campaign in social media requesting support from other healthcare workers' unions. 

As of Tuesday, Panama health authorities registered 88,381 COVID-19 cases, 1,919 deaths, and 62,759 recoveries from the virus.

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