It has been 18 months since President Juan Carlos Varela designated Mr. Estivenson Girón as the head of the Panamanian Social Security (CSS in Spanish) , and the string of scandals has not stopped since.
In the latest turn of events, the Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (ANTAI in Spanish), has lodged a complaint against Mr. Giron in relation to a trip to Germany that was allegedly paid by a German company. On Tuesday, the 10 members that make up the CSS board allowed the investigation to proceed.
Néstor Vega Yuil, member of the board of the CSS, confirmed that the investigation will proceed and that all relevant information has been requested in order to determine if the case has any substance.
For his part, Rafael Chavarría, member of the National Council of Organised Workers (Conato, in Spanish), has indicated that a special commission will be charged with the investigation, and that a formal presentation of its result to the CSS board will follow.
According to the former director the the Association of Doctors, Odontologists and Medical Professionals of the CSS (Amoacss, in Spanish), Mauro Zúñiga, the current director of the CSS does not have the remotest idea of how to manage the country’s social security system. Mr. Zúñiga argues that Mr. Giron should be relieved of his duties, as the current crisis affecting the CSS show no signs of improvement. “Every day that goes by the situation of the CSS gets worse and worse. Either Giron goes or the CSS will fall apart”, he said.
More scandals
Over the course of the 18 months since he took over, Mr. Giron has been repeatedly criticized for his management of the institution that brings medical attention to all Panamanians.
One of the many scandals involved the leasing of 97 ambulances, as a way to resolve the deficit of transport units in the CSS. Others have concerned the lack of medical supplies as well as the procurement of generic medications, whose effectiveness has been criticized by healthcare experts.
