Panama COVID-19 Emergency Response

The objective of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Project for Panama is to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness in the Republic of Panama. There are two components to the project, the first component being strengthening the response to COVID-19 and national systems for public health preparedness. This component will provide immediate support to the National COVID-19 Action Plan. Specifically, it aligns with the Action Plan by providing support for the procurement of key medical equipment and supplies for the prevention, detection and treatment of COVID-19. The component will support prevention and containment by financing critical inputs for infection control in health facilities, as well as investigation of suspected cases and contact tracing. This component includes two subcomponents: support measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and strengthen case detection capacity and support critical aspects of health service provision. Finally, the second component is the project management and monitoring. This component will finance the required operational costs of the Health, Administrative, and Financial Management Unit (Unidad de Gestion de Salud, Administrativa y Financiera, UGSAF) at MINSA. The main activities include: (i) financial management (FM), procurement, environmental and social requirements, and audits of the project; and (ii) monitoring and evaluating the project. These activities will be carried out in accordance with WBG guidelines and procedures.