Type of Intervention: Specific Action
Sectors Involved: Health, Research and Development
Intervention Categories: Research and development
Level of Jurisdiction: National
Lead People/Agency: National Bioethics Committee, Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies (leading)
Implementing: Ministry of Health, Santo Tomas Hospital, Social Security Health System, Pacifica Salud Hospital
Overview: The National Bioethics Committee approved the protocol for research to determine the use of convalescent plasma as an alternative treatment in patients with pulmonary complications from COVID-19.
Initiative that has the endorsement of the Panamanian Society of Hematology and Intensive Care Physicians. International organizations such as the US FDA are currently testing the use of this therapeutic alternative to reduce the severity and duration of COVID-19.
In this sense, once the investigation is completed, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) urges the population to continue with blood donation programs, now with greater emphasis, since convalescent plasma would help patients in the inflammatory and severe phase of the CoVid-19.
Full details here: http://www.minsa.gob.pa/noticia/comunicado-56-panama-logra-avances-cientificos-en-el-combate-del-covid-19
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group, Learning from other jurisdictions, Scientific Evidence (e.g. academic paper, report)
Source of Evidence or Justification: International – academic
Evidence/Justification: Study conducted by John Hopkins University, that tests, the RNA extracted, which will allow amplifying the response capacity by COVID-19.
RNA is ribonucleic acid, a component that functions as a messenger of genetic information and also participates in the protein synthesis of the human body. This study conducted by John Hopkins University was approved by the United States FDA.