Panama Ministry: Mental Health Certificates Not Required for Most Jobs, Education
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
TLDR
- Panama's Ministry of Health (Minsa) clarified that mental health certificates are not a general requirement for employment or education.
- Such evaluations are exceptional, restricted to high-risk roles like law enforcement, air traffic control, and personnel handling hazardous materials or strategic infrastructure.
- The Minsa stressed that demanding these certificates broadly is scientifically unfounded, a human rights violation, and strains public psychiatric services.
Panama's Ministry of Health (Minsa) has issued a crucial clarification, reinforcing that mental health evaluations cannot be a blanket requirement for job or academic admissions. This directive aims to dismantle discriminatory practices and uphold fundamental human rights within the country's employment and education sectors.
la solicitud de certificados o evaluaciones de salud mental no puede establecerse como requisito general para acceder a empleos o estudios, al tratarse de una medida de carácter excepcional restringida únicamente a funciones de alto riesgo.
The National Directorate of Mental Health at Minsa has been emphatic: only specific, high-risk professions, such as those involving firearms or critical infrastructure, may require such assessments. This targeted approach ensures that the measure is applied judiciously and not as a tool for exclusion based on an individual's mental health history.
una evaluación psiquiátrica solo es válida si cumple con tres condiciones simultáneas: contar con una justificación escrita, realizarse de forma individual, nunca masiva, y estar vinculada a una tarea previamente definida como de alto riesgo.
Roberto González de La Lastra, head of the Mental Health Section, underscored that widespread demands for mental health certificates lack scientific basis and constitute a violation of human rights. Furthermore, such practices place an undue burden on public psychiatric services, potentially diverting resources from individuals in urgent need of clinical intervention. This stance aligns with recent legislation designed to promote fairness and inclusivity.
la solicitud masiva de certificados carece de sustento científico para determinar la idoneidad profesional de una persona y, además, constituye una vulneración de derechos humanos.
While Minsa prohibits clinical assessments as a general prerequisite, it acknowledges the role of psychological testing for evaluating job-related competencies. These tests, administered by qualified professionals, must focus on skills and aptitudes relevant to the position, steering clear of clinical diagnoses. This nuanced approach seeks to balance the needs of employers with the imperative to protect the rights and dignity of all citizens, ensuring that opportunities are based on merit and suitability, not on unfounded fears or biases.
los departamentos de Recursos Humanos sí pueden aplicar pruebas psicológicas orientadas a la evaluación de competencias, siempre que estas sean administradas por psicólogos laborales, se enfoquen en habilidades y aptitudes técnicas relacionadas con el puesto, y no tengan un propósito clínico ni impliquen la emisión de diagnósticos sobre trastornos mentales.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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