Deputy Gabriel Silva presented to the Plenary of the National Assembly the draft law "that develops the human right to mental health and guarantees coverage at the national level."

This initiative had already been the subject of discussion in the Assembly, however it stalled due to the lack of consensus between psychiatrists and psychologists regarding the issuance of mental health certificates.

Silva explained that to avoid the above, on this occasion this technical aspect was withdrawn from the draft and the content was focused on establishing the right of patients to mental health, quality care, prevention campaigns and guaranteeing a budget. "In this initiative we are leaving everything that has to do with psychologists and psychiatrists and their skills to one side."

"In Panama we do not have a Mental Health Law, despite the fact that in Panama every three days a person dies by suicide," Silva highlighted during his speech, also pointing out that during the pandemic, more than 269 have been received through line 269. 17 thousand calls for psychological attention, while 27 thousand patients have been admitted to the Social Security Fund "for mental health issues."

As Gabriel Silva explained, other objectives of the draft are "to ensure that private insurance also includes mental health coverage."