The Contact Center in Panama is used for the Teleconsultation and Telemedicine Program and provides remote care to patients in the 15 regions of the country.
The Contact Center was specially enabled to carry out telemedicine programs in Panama, the objective is to avoid the crowding of people in health centers either to schedule an appointment, or attend a consultation. Currently a total of 19 medical professionals serve patients nationwide.
The Contact Center registers nearly 8,700 remote medical appointments, more than 7,400 teleconsultations and has delivered approximately 12,800 medical prescriptions.
"We saw the need to have facilities that provide this type of service, more than anything to give patients peace of mind and comfort," explained the Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre. He also explained that there are only three locations that do not have a teleconsultation service due to connectivity issues. However, there are 31 medical establishments connected to the teleconsultation service.
The Electronic Health Information File (SEIS) is also part of the teleconsultation services. The use of this tool allows the professional to know the patient's file, facilitating the follow-up of their appointments. The SEIS is available for consultation from any establishment of the Ministry of Health.
Post-COVID patient care
On the other hand, teleconsultations have been an important part of caring for patients who have overcome COVID-19. The Ministry of Health has made more than a thousand post-COVID patient care appointments and more than 400 follow-up appointments.
The Ministry of Health has described the strategy for post-COVID patients as a "solution that has transformed patient care, significantly influencing their confidence, through programs and doctors that continue to play an essential role in the health of the population. population and that is reinforced by telephone under the same priority conditions.
It should be noted that in March 2021 the Government of Panama approved a legislative project for the creation of a Telehealth system throughout the country. In addition, since July 2020, they have a virtual office system through the chatbot ROSA (Automatic Health Operational Response)