Summary.
The bill establishes a unified procedure for verifying medical fitness, laboratory testing and training in food safety or biosecurity. It would cover people directly or indirectly involved in preparing, handling, packaging, storing, transporting, selling and distributing food and beverages, including home delivery. It would also cover staff in lodging, body care, recreation and pest control establishments, and other activities subject to sanitary oversight as determined by the Executive Branch (Órgano Ejecutivo). Its governing principles include technological interoperability, secure authentication, protection of clinical data and the return of resources to primary care.
The bill changes the heading of a chapter of Law 66 of November 10, 1947, the Sanitary Code (Código Sanitario), and adds a section containing Articles 186-A through 186-G. The Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud), acting through the Directorate General of Public Health (Dirección General de Salud Pública) and its regional health offices, would administer certification and combine medical history, laboratory results and training records in a single electronic file. The Health Identity Document (DIS) would be the official credential. For legal, employment and administrative purposes, it would replace the medical certificate of good health, known as the white card, and the food handler or sanitary training card, known as the green card.
The DIS would include a durable physical card with security features, a chip and an electronically signed two-dimensional code, together with a digital credential in the state mobile application, coordinated with the National Authority for Government Innovation (Autoridad Nacional para la Innovación Gubernamental). Its clinical and laboratory component would ordinarily be valid for one (1) calendar year and its training component for five (5) calendar years. Renewal of the clinical component would update the file, chip, digital credential and code without requiring replacement of an intact physical card. Examinations could take place at facilities of the Ministry of Health and the Social Security Fund (Caja de Seguro Social), or at private offices and laboratories certified by the Technical Health Council (Consejo Técnico de Salud) that report results securely. The Ministry of Health would provide the necessary infrastructure, supplies, interoperability and biometric data capture.
Health inspectors and security agencies would check DIS validity using official readers or the code. Once medical and training requirements are met, the system would issue a verifiable provisional digital certificate valid for thirty (30) calendar days. It would authorize employment while the physical card is delivered. Revenue from cost-recovery charges, document issuance and testing would be allocated first to the facilities providing the services. The Executive Branch, through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas), would regulate the return of funds for laboratory supplies and transfers to the self-management accounts of the Health Committee (Comité de Salud) recognized under Cabinet Decree No. 401 of 1970.
Owners, administrators and managers of covered businesses would have to verify staff credentials before work begins. Keeping personnel without a valid DIS or with altered certificates would lead to financial penalties under the Sanitary Code and, in cases of repeated violations or evident public health risk, temporary suspension of operations. Under Law 81 of 2019 on Personal Data Protection, public queries and field inspections would display only identification, validity periods and certification status, without diagnoses or medical results. Earlier cards would remain valid until their stated expiry dates, after which renewals would follow the unified procedure. Technical and accounting regulations would be issued within ninety (90) calendar days of promulgation. The proposed law would take effect one hundred and eighty (180) days after publication in the Official Gazette.
The provisions connect the Ministry of Health, Social Security Fund, Technical Health Council, National Authority for Government Innovation, Ministry of Economy and Finance and Health Committees with Panama’s care network. They could affect workers and employers in food service, agroindustry, delivery, retail, lodging, body care, recreation and pest control, as well as private laboratories and medical offices.
What it proposes.
- Sanitary certification for food handlers and staff of establishments subject to sanitary oversight.
- The Health Identity Document, its components, issuance and verification.
- Return of sanitary service revenue to public facilities and Health Committees.
- Clinical data confidentiality and employers’ responsibilities.
Who it would affect.
- People involved in food and beverage activities, including home delivery.
- Staff of establishments subject to sanitary oversight.
- Owners, administrators and managers of covered activities.
- Public and private providers of medical assessments and laboratory tests.
Key points.
- Combines verification of medical fitness, laboratory testing and training for covered personnel.Arts. 1-2
- Changes the sanitary chapter heading and adds a section on certification and the Health Identity Document.Arts. 4-5
- Establishes physical and digital credentials with separate clinical and training validity periods.Art. 5
- Allows examinations at public facilities and certified private providers connected to the Ministry of Health.Art. 5
- Provides for field verification and a provisional digital certificate valid for thirty (30) calendar days after requirements are met.Art. 5
- Allocates certification revenue first to service facilities and the Health Committee’s self-management accounts.Art. 6
- Requires credential checks before work, provides for penalties and limits the data visible during queries and inspections.Arts. 7-8
- Preserves earlier cards until expiry, sets a deadline for regulations and delays commencement.Arts. 9-11