60% of Panamanians believe that the government and health authorities have done a poor job of ensuring that everyone in the country has access to the latest technologies and innovations in public health, by maintaining outdated regulations and support systems.
This was revealed by an international survey conducted by the independent research agency Povaddo, between July 19 and August 10 of this year in Panama. The survey was applied in 14 more countries.
The study further revealed that 53% of respondents believe that public health authorities have not done a good job of adopting new technologies and innovations to improve public health.
In addition, 97% of Panamanians believe that the health care sector must radically change and innovate to achieve a significant and positive social impact. Another 97% of Panamanians believe that new technologies and innovations can play an important role in improving public health in Panama.
disruptive innovation
When dealing with an important public health problem such as tobacco consumption, disruptive innovation looms large. 55% of respondents believe that these new technologies can play an important role in helping adult smokers replace cigarettes with less harmful alternatives.
However, although 47% trust that all citizens can access technologies capable of improving their health, current regulations prevent this access, since the only tobacco products available to consumers are combustible cigarettes, disproportionately affecting people with lower income.
Likewise, according to this study, 80% of Panamanians declare themselves concerned about the consumption of illicit substances, among which illegal cigarettes are included. On this point, Panama was one of the countries with the highest rate of concern, within the countries analyzed, possibly due to its very high levels of smuggling and increasingly better understanding of the problem by society.
The sample showed that, in general, Panamanians look favorably on innovations and the majority anticipate a positive impact from each of the following: Internet of things (94%), electric vehicles (93%), drone technology ( 88%), immunotherapy (85%), autonomous vehicles (80%), artificial intelligence (79%), among others.
In addition, a significant majority believe that disruptive innovation can address some of the world’s most urgent challenges in the next 10 to 20 years, on issues such as: promoting healthy eating habits (95%); improve mental health services (93%); ensure quality and affordable health care for all (90%); combat climate change (87%); plan for future pandemics (86%); eliminate hunger and malnutrition (83%); reduce illicit drug use (80%); apply vaccines to the entire population (80%) and reduce smoking rates (79%).
Povaddo conducted the online survey of 17,207 general population adults over the age of 21 and a booster sample of 281 members of the business elite in 14 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan. , Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. A similar study was conducted in Saudi Arabia. In addition, a booster sample was conducted among 201 global political elites.
A total of 1,046 interviews were collected among the general population of Panama. The results are accurate in Panama with a margin of error of ±3%.
