Jennifer Lopez (R) is seen alongside then Panamanian First Lady Marta Linares de Martinelli at the Hospital del Nino (AFP file photo)
Singer Jennifer Lopez and her sister, Lynda Lopez, have helped expand access to specialist medical care for children in Panama through a donation of telemedicine equipment. In 2012, their Lopez Family Foundation supported a network linking hospitals and health centres in Panama with Children's Hospital Los Angeles in the United States.
The system allowed doctors to examine medical information, discuss diagnoses and seek specialist advice remotely, particularly for children living in areas where specialised healthcare was difficult to access.According to Panama's Spanish newspaper La Prensa, for families in the country's remote Ngabe-Bugle indigenous region, reaching a hospital with specialist doctors could involve travelling considerable distances.
With the new programme, a child could be examined at a participating healthcare facility while doctors elsewhere reviewed the findings and helped decide what treatment or further attention was needed.The initiative had taken shape the previous year, when Lynda Lopez and Dr Stuart Siegel of Children's Hospital Los Angeles visited hospitals and communities in the country. On June 12, 2012, the Lopez sisters visited Hospital del Nino to hand over the donated equipment.
Panama became the second country to receive the programme after Puerto Rico.
How doctors could examine patients from another hospital
The programme was designed around an existing healthcare network rather than requiring every hospital to have its own team of specialists. Hospital del Nino in Panama City served as the coordinating centre, while other participating facilities could request medical opinions according to their patients' needs.The donated equipment included three telemedicine units and seven tele-education units.
Each telemedicine unit had a computer with medical software called t-consult, a stethoscope, an otoscope, a vital signs monitor, and an electrocardiograph. These devices allowed medical information collected during examinations to be shared with doctors at another location.The tele-education units were also equipped with computers, high-resolution cameras, communication software, and external speakers.
This allowed healthcare workers to attend lectures, discuss cases and participate in training without travelling to another hospital.The original network connected four hospitals and three health centres. These included Hospital del Nino, Jose Domingo De Obaldia Hospital, San Felix Rural Hospital, the Paediatric Specialities Hospital and health centres at Hato Juli, Hato Chami and Cerro Iglesias. Participating hospitals could also consult specialists in Los Angeles.
Use of telemedicine in Panama
The Lopez Family Foundation's contribution built upon medical services that had existed in Panama for more than a decade. Telemedicine activities began in the country in 1999, followed by a rural project in the Ngabe-Bugle region in 2005.That earlier project enabled healthcare workers in mountainous communities to contact specialists at San Felix Rural Hospital. However, patients requiring more specialised treatment were generally referred to Jose Domingo De Obaldia Hospital.The new network was intended to improve communication between these facilities and provide access to additional expertise. Panamanian pathologist Silvio Vega, who directed the programme locally, helped oversee its installation and development.For patients, this meant fewer unnecessary hospital transfers, lower travel expenses and better access to follow-up consultations. For doctors, the system offered an opportunity to obtain second opinions while continuing to care for children at their local facilities.
Network also supported medical education
The programme subsequently developed into a platform for sharing medical knowledge. According to Hospital del Nino's official account, its first telepediatrics conference addressed growth disorders in children. The session was led by Dr Mitchell Geffner, head of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, with doctors from several participating hospitals joining remotely.Training also extended beyond video conferences. In 2013, Dr Rebeca Rios Zavala completed a month-long placement at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Three paediatric residents from Los Angeles subsequently visited hospitals in Panama during in 2014 to learn more about tropical diseases.