Summary.
The bill proposes to regulate the practice of surgical instrumentation technicians and degree holders in the operating rooms of Panama’s hospitals. It places their duties under the direction, coordination, professional updating, and supervision of the head of the operating room, and subjects the career to the proposed law and its implementing regulations. It recognizes these workers as technicians or professionals according to their academic qualifications, with a university degree and professional license to work in public and private institutions that provide hospital surgical services.
Their duties include preparing the operating room; checking the condition of the operating room and the patient’s admission; overseeing instruments, materials, and equipment; and managing matters related to the surgical procedure to prevent risks and malpractice. To practice as a technician, a person must be a Panamanian national, pass the technical competency certification examination, obtain the corresponding certification, and receive a professional license from the Public Health Technical Council (Consejo Técnico de Salud Pública). Degree holders must also have a degree issued by a public, private, or foreign university; foreign degrees must be validated by the public university responsible for this field of study in Panama. Specialized practice additionally requires specialization in a branch of surgical instrumentation.
For the public sector career structure, the bill classifies professional practice by level of training. It describes the technical level as requiring 2 to 3 years of university study and provides for a degree-holder level with specialization and a master’s degree in an area of the profession, according to needs established by the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud) and recognized by the Public Health Technical Council. In public institutions, the current unified salary scale for health professionals and technicians applies, taking into account continuous service and academic qualifications according to service needs. In private institutions, remuneration is governed by the employer’s terms, without falling below the minimum wage set by the Ministry of Labor (Ministerio de trabajo).
The Health Technical Council (Consejo Técnico de Salud) could request assistance from a professional association with legal personality on specific matters. Technicians and degree holders would be entitled to ongoing continuing education of at least 25 hours a year. Those who were trained institutionally and have worked continuously and permanently in state service would retain their positions and receive remuneration under the unified scale. Institutionally trained personnel and those at the technical level would gradually leave the system through degree studies or retirement on a pension; until then, they would receive the prescribed benefits. The bill establishes September 19 as National Surgical Instrumentation Professional Day in memory of Dr. Guillermo Bosh Arana. The Executive Branch, through the Ministry of Health, would issue implementing regulations within 90 days of the law’s entry into force, which is set for its promulgation.
In substance, the bill concerns the Public Health Technical Council, the Health Technical Council, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labor, and the Executive Branch. It may be of interest to public and private hospitals, universities, professional associations, and surgical instrumentation personnel.
What it proposes.
- The practice of surgical instrumentation in hospitals.
- Certification, professional licensing, and specialization requirements.
- Career structure, remuneration, and continuing education.
Who it would affect.
- Surgical instrumentation technicians.
- Surgical instrumentation degree holders, including specialists.
- Public and private hospitals and institutions that provide hospital surgical services.
- Institutionally trained surgical instrumentation personnel.
Key points.
- Practice in the career would be subject to the proposed law and its implementing regulations, under the direction, coordination, professional updating, and supervision of the head of the operating room.Art. 1
- The bill recognizes technicians and degree holders according to their academic qualifications and establishes duties involving preparation, inspection, and management of the surgical setting and procedure.Arts. 2-3
- Technical and professional practice would require Panamanian nationality, technical competency certification, and a professional license; degree holders would need a university degree, and specialized practice would require specialization.Arts. 4-6
- The public sector career structure would be organized by level of training. Remuneration would follow the unified health salary scale in public institutions and the employer’s terms in private institutions, without falling below the minimum wage.Arts. 7-8
- The Health Technical Council could request assistance from the professional association, and technicians and degree holders would be entitled to at least 25 hours of continuing education a year.Arts. 9-10
- Institutionally trained personnel who meet the prescribed conditions would retain their positions; their gradual exit from the system would occur through degree studies or retirement on a pension.Arts. 11-12
- The Executive Branch would issue implementing regulations through the Ministry of Health within 90 days of the proposed law’s entry into force.Art. 15