Panama City, June 20, 2025 — The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort is scheduled to be in Panama from June 24 to July 1 as part of the Continuing Promise 2025 humanitarian mission. This initiative is organized by the U.S. Southern Command in collaboration with Panama's Ministry of Health, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Education, and the municipalities of Panama City and Arraiján.
Medical personnel aboard the USNS Comfort will coordinate with the Ministry of Health (MINSA) to support primary care outreach efforts in Panama City and Veracruz. These clinics are expected to serve around 500 patients daily. Additionally, MINSA has pre-selected patients for specialized care, including surgeries and diagnostic services.
The Continuing Promise 2025 program also involves medical equipment repair at several hospitals and health centers. Other activities include disaster response training, beach clean-ups, soccer tournaments, veterinary services, renovations at a local school kitchen, and concerts featuring bands from various organizations.
“Continuing Promise 2025 is a humanitarian mission that embodies our spirit of collaboration. The arrival of the USNS Comfort represents a hand of friendship that is here to assist Panama and work together to provide health care to those in need,” stated U.S. Ambassador to Panama Kevin Marino Cabrera.
Panama marks the second stop for the USNS Comfort on its deployment through August 12. Future stops include Grenada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.
Continuing Promise began in 2007 with an aim to deliver medical assistance and promote goodwill throughout the region. Since then, it has provided care to over 605,000 patients and conducted approximately 7,300 surgeries.