Central America for Regional Health School
The 24th Central American Council Ministerial Meeting in Panama delegates welcomed Panamanian Health Minister Camilo Alleyne´s proposal to create a regional school to train health professionals and technicians to work in poor areas.

In statements to Prensa Latina, National Health Chief Cirilo Lawson asserted that the ministers received the project positively.

The goal is to create a center to train health staffers from poor communities, and once they are trained well, return to their regions to treat the people, Lawson said.

Lawson suggested that the ministers make the proposal to their nations, legalize it and seek adequate financing to extend it to the region.

Strategies to build regional facilities to monitor and control diseases were also discussed in the meeting that opened Wednesday.

Mariela Licha, coordinator of the Unity of Support for the Pan American Health Organization, asserted the plan will be accomplished because they are aware of the lack of health professionals in poor areas.

Central American Integration Office´s Dr Jose Arnoldo Sermeno, US Health Secretary Michael Leavitt, and Nicaraguan Health Minister Margarita Guardian are presiding over the forum.

Dora Jara, Jorge Dickerman, Jaime Gomez, Lidieth Carballo and Jose Ernesto Navarro, deputy health ministers of Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Salvador, respectively, and Belize Health Service Director Jorge Polanco, are also present.