Ambassador: Anna Funk
1. Which aspects of Pandemic Preparedness are most pertinent to your country and why?
The aspect of Pandemic Preparedness which is most pertinent to Panama would be the proper and equal distribution of vaccine and pandemic spread prevention information. This is an issue for Panama considering population distribution and demographics. Almost a 3rd of the Panamanian population lives in poverty with half of that population living in extreme poverty, and almost one in ten Panamanians is illiterate. The stated conditions pose serious challenges to quick disease prevention education (TV advertisements may not reach those below the poverty line, flyers/ notices would not efficiently communicate to the illiterate), Another reason why this aspect is most pertinent to Panama is that many groups of our indigenous populations, which are highly prevalent below the poverty line, live in hard to reach rural communities. Another aspect which we would be aware of would be disease spread considering the nutritional and hygenic state of our many impoverished communities.
2. How would you as the WHO Ambassador of your country address this issue?
As the WHO Ambassador to Panama I will address this issue by upholding the existing health ideals which exist through the Ministry of Health in Panama- and this is to provide comprehensive and universal health care to all. We will make a high effort for awareness of disease spread amongst our those in our communities with access to community centers and televisions, through announcements and notices. We will also put increased effort into reaching out to rural communities in areas such as Bocas del Toro by sending out personal messengers to villages and communities, and through radio communication. In panama there is approximately 10 physicians and 10 professional nurses for every 10,000 inhabitants, which would make our availability of health professionals for distribution of information and vaccine low. I will likely mobilize medical, nursing, and health students in order to help existing professionals in this distribution, and will possibly need to call on allies in order to efficiently communicate and vaccinate if Panama is greatly affected.
4. Which countries do you see yourself becoming allies or rivals with? Why?
I see that my country could potentially rival with the United states because of our delicate political situation and history.
I see my country becoming allies with Costa Rica, as well as other central american countries because of our close borders and abilities to share in resources and planning.
3. How has your country addressed Pandemics in the past? What would you have done differently?
In the past, panama has dealt with many pandemics, including malaria and yellow fever. There has not been any cases of yellow fever in Panama since the 1970's, because of widespread control mechanisms and vaccination. Vaccination was delayed the most however, and yellow fever lingered the longest, in rural areas such as Bocas del Toro. I will take great measures to insure that, to provide good health for all, that rural communities will not suffer severely from an imposing pandemic, by taking appropriate, although maybe challenging measures to quickly provide them with information and vaccine.