HHS Secretary Leavitt and the Panamanian Minister of Health Sign Letter of Intent for Health-Care Training Center

HHS Secretary Leavitt shakes hands with Panamanian Health Minister Alleyne after signing the Letter of Intent. Looking on behind them are HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, ADM John Agwunobi, M.D.; the Honorable Arístedes Royo, Panamanian Ambassador to the Organization of American States; and the Honorable H. José Belisario Baruco Villareal, Chairman of the Health Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Panamá. HHS photo by Chris Smith

HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and the Minister of Health of the Republic of Panamá, the Honorable Camilo Alleyne Marshall, M.D. HHS photo by Chris Smith

March 22, 2007 – HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and the Minister of Health of the Republic of Panamá, the Honorable Camilo Alleyne Marshall, M.D., signed a Letter of Intent earlier this week to seal the commitment of the United States, Panamá and five other Central American nations to establish a training center in Panamá to serve health-care workers in the region.

The Letter of Intent pledges the Governments of the United States of America and the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panamá to enhance and expand bilateral cooperative efforts in health and the medical sciences, and to confront common threats to health security.  The first training at the center of students from the region is scheduled to start on April 16, 2007, at the campus of the City of Knowledge in Panamá City.

This agreement is the latest development in ongoing, regional cooperation between the United States and its neighbors in the Western Hemisphere to promote health and advance social justice. Secretary Leavitt will leave for a five-nation visit to Central America later this week to continue such dialogue on advancing opportunities for collaboration in the region.

Last revised: December 12, 2007