Since 1991, Operation Smile has conducted around 80 surgical programs, provided over 4,800 surgeries and performed more than 6,500 surgical procedures.
THE NEED
Urban-rural divide. Despite making significant advances towards achieving universal health coverage, Panama faces a marked urban-rural divide, with Indigenous and rural populations lacking access to medical equipment, medicine and qualified doctors.
The rate of extreme poverty in rural areas is six times higher than in urban areas. In 2015, there were only 1.3 hospital beds per 1,000 people in rural regions, while urban populations had 2.9 hospital beds per 1,000 people. According to Operation Smile’s survey, 29% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs do not have a hospital within two hours of their home. These factors create barriers for patients in need of surgical care.
Shortfall of health workers. Panama has a shortage of skilled medical professionals, which leads to long waiting periods for patients. Panama has 26 specialist surgical workers per 100,000 population, which falls short of the average number of 71 specialist surgical workers in high-income countries.
Out-of-pocket expenses. According to Operation Smile’s survey, 70% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs in Panama have no health insurance and 62% live below the poverty line. Out-of-pocket payments often prevent patients from accessing the treatment that they need. Financial barriers to care put children born with cleft conditions at an even greater risk.
One out of every tenth individual faces impoverishing expenditure for surgical care, while 16% of the population risks catastrophic expenditure for surgical care. Operation Smile’s survey revealed that 89% of our patients in Panama could not have undergone surgery without the support of Operation Smile.
OUR FORMULA FOR TRANSFORMATION
Operation Smile’s formula for transformational impact combines care delivery & capacity-building.
Education programs are at the center of Operation Smile’s strategy to increase access to surgery closer to the patient’s home.
Each surgical program brings together providers from all over the world for a unique opportunity to share knowledge and innovate. This type of bi-directional learning is essential to redistributing knowledge between providers and building capacity in the areas of greatest need.
Our work in health policy & advocacy and health infrastructure & equipment addresses structural barriers to care and helps build robust health systems. Operation Smile’s research & innovation efforts inform all aspects of our decision-making and allow us to have a comprehensive understanding of the impact our programs have on patients.
HUB & SPOKES
To ensure that every child has access to care close to home, we equip the providers within our patients’ communities with skills and resources to deliver high-quality care. We build the needed capacity by harnessing the talent and resources that exist within the country, usually in the bigger cities, the hubs, to train providers in under-resourced areas, the spokes, where most patients lack access to care.
Our hub is based in Hospital José Domingo de Obaldía in David, where there is greater access to specialized care and advanced training, which we leverage to enable care in the spokes.
Our spoke is based in Santiago in Hospital Chicho Fábrega.
Operation Smile’s Care Center in Panama City provides non-surgical cleft care.
Operation Smile has begun refurbishing the new Care Center in Panama City, which will significantly expand cleft care services.
During Fiscal Year July 2024-June 2025, Operation Smile Canada has committed to invest $ 336,169, accounting for 84% of Panama’s total projected budget for the fiscal year, which will directly contribute to providing care for around 220 surgical patients and train approx. 120 health workers.
Cleft Care Programs
This year, Operation Smile will provide surgical care for around 220 patients. We will expand comprehensive cleft care services by providing consultations in oral health (20 patients), nutrition (20 patients), speech therapy (50 patients) and ENT care (4 patients).
Education
We will increase access to cleft care in Panama by educating and training around 120 health workers. Operation Smile plans to provide American Heart Association (AHA) courses for medical professionals working in different fields. We will deliver specialty training for health workers in the spheres of anesthesia, surgery, nursing, pediatrics, biomedical technology and psychology.
FIVE-YEAR VISION
Over the next five years, Operation Smile will provide surgeries for over 1,030 patients. In addition, we will deliver consultations to over 2,300 patients, expanding access to comprehensive cleft care services.
Operation Smile will collaborate with hospitals to provide education and training across various specialties.
Operation Smile will ensure that the hospitals where our patients receive treatment have high-quality supplies and equipment.
To expand access to cleft care, we will strengthen our relationship with the Ministry of Health, the Gorgas Research Hospital and key stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry.
