Taking complaints to the streets

PANAMA. Protests in Panama continue, as victims of CSS negligence, pensioners, and health technicians take their demands to the streets.

A group of family members of the victims poisoned from the Social Security (CSS) medicines contaminated with diethelene glycol held a protest on Monday in front of the Forensic Medical facilities in Calidonia, where they demanded the firing of Jose Vicente Pachard, director of the Legal Medicine Institute.

The demonstrators were mad because investigations have allegedly not been carried well, and are long overdue compared to other countries (like China, where there were also cases of poisoning). The leader of the demonstrators, Gabriel Pascual, explained that the number of affected people that Pachard provided was not correct, as there are a hundred dead and others are still to be tested.

Meanwhile, on Transistmica, pensioners again closed the road in front of the CSS facilities again to demand a raise in their pension payments and a pay rise for policemen.

Even though the pensioners were considerate enough to allow the flow of cars in one lane, traffic jams were significant. Eladio Fernandez, leader of the demonstrators, said that they will stay on the streets until they have a satisfactory response from the government.

Health technicians are also threatening to go on a strike if the government, don’t comply with their petitions by today, Thursday.

Orlando Marin, spokesperson for the group, said they are asking for a pay rise of $175 and a productivity bonus based on 90 percent of their salary.

They are also asking officials to fulfill the promises made in 2005.

This includes hiring more than 1,000 employees missing from the health system as well as naming personnel for many of the positions left vacant after retirements.