03 March 2020 – Cabinet raises threat level to Very High – Ministry of Health put in charge of determining and conducting the State’s health policy

Type of Intervention: Executive Order, Financial and Economic
Sectors Involved: Civil Defence, Education, Finance/Economy, Health, Local Government, Private Sector, Police and Interior Affairs
Intervention Categories: Education and awareness; Finance policy and financial aid; Financial aid to health services
Level of Jurisdiction: National
Lead People/Agency: Ministry of Health (leading)
Implementing:
Ministry of the Presidency
Ministery of security
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Social Development
National Civil Protection System
Institute of National Aqueducts and Sewers

Overview: Cabinet Resolution that raises the threat of propagation of the CoViD-19 Outbreak in the national territory to VERY HIGH and other provisions are issued, which in use of its legal powers and in accordance with the Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama, in which in its article 109, it establishes the State’s obligation to carry out actions to promote, protect, repair and rehabilitate health, putting MINSA in charge of determining and conducting the State’s health policy.

Given the pronouncement on February 28, 2020, of the WHO to raise the risk of global expansion of Co-ViD19 from * HIGH * to * VERY HIGH *, the State must take extreme sanitary measures and ensure their faithful compliance and provide the necessary funds and resources to adopt all necessary measures to avoid and mitigate the risk of the outbreak spreading.

With the clear intention of facilitating health management, the framework of Cabinet Resolution No. 6 of January 28, 2020 was expanded, through which a high risk threat was declared by CoViD19, in order to increase the response capacity of the sanitary system.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance is authorized to assign a budget of three million dollars to MINSA to cover the expenses caused by the initial actions and five million dollars more in the event that the cases presented exceed the projections made on the base of mathematical models of the behavior of the pandemic.
The allocation of other budget items to other key entities is also authorized so that they can contribute effectively in the joint effort to respond to the health event.

Public procurement is also authorized through a special procedure, established in Law No. 22 of Public Procurement of 2006, for goods, works and / or services acquired by public entities of exclusive use for the management of measures to prevent the spread of Coronaviruses, which must be coordinated by MINSA.
Full details here: http://www.minsa.gob.pa/sites/default/files/general/resolucion_de_gabinete_ndeg10_de_3_de_marzo_de_2020_que_eleva_a_muy_alta_la_amenaza_de_propagacion_del_brote_del_nuevo_coronavirus_0.pdf

Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group, Advice of EXTERNAL expert advisor or advisory committee
Source of Evidence or Justification: World Health Organisation, National – academic, National – government
Evidence/Justification: https://geosocial.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/2c6e932c690d467b85375af52b614472