Panama’s Ministry of Health (Minsa) has activated free psychological support services for residents affected by the recent earthquake, deploying mental health teams to four provinces as communities grapple with anxiety, fear, and panic attacks following the tremor.
What Happened
Following the seismic event that shook parts of the country, the Ministry of Health announced the deployment of mental health teams to the provinces of Herrera, Coclé, Veraguas, and Los Santos. The teams are tasked with providing free psychological attention to residents experiencing emotional distress, including anxiety, fear, and panic crises triggered by the earthquake.
The service is being offered at no cost to the population, ensuring that people in the affected regions can access professional mental health support regardless of their ability to pay. Health personnel are attending to individuals and communities reporting psychological symptoms in the aftermath of the tremor.
Background
Earthquakes can have lasting emotional effects on affected populations, even when physical damage is limited. Fear of aftershocks, disrupted sleep, and panic attacks are commonly reported psychological responses to seismic events. Health authorities in seismic regions around the world increasingly recognize mental health care as an essential component of disaster response, alongside physical medical attention.
The four provinces receiving attention — Herrera, Coclé, Veraguas, and Los Santos — are located in Panama’s interior, in the central part of the country near the Azuero peninsula. This region has historically experienced seismic activity, as Panama sits in a tectonically active zone where the Caribbean and South American plates interact with the Panama microplate. Minsa’s activation of psychological care reflects a broader public health approach that treats emotional wellbeing as part of emergency response.
What This Means for Panama
The deployment of free mental health services signals that authorities consider the earthquake’s psychological impact significant enough to warrant a coordinated response. Residents in Herrera, Coclé, Veraguas, and Los Santos experiencing anxiety, fear, or panic attacks are encouraged to seek out the available services from Minsa’s mobile teams.
The move also highlights the importance of mental health infrastructure in disaster preparedness. Should aftershocks occur or emotional symptoms persist, having health teams already positioned in the affected provinces allows for a rapid, sustained response. For Panama, the episode underscores how emergency management increasingly encompasses both physical safety and psychological recovery, a standard that may shape how future seismic events are handled.
This story was originally reported by TVN 2.