Panama received a free helicopter ambulance on Tuesday valued at $8.1 million as part of a deal to end a dispute with Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica.
Vice President and Foreign Minister Isabel De Saint Malo traveled to Milan, Italy, to receive the aircraft on behalf of the Panamanian government.
The helicopter will be used in rescue and humanitarian aid missions, and it is expected to be transferred to Panama at no cost by Agusta Westland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica.
The air ambulance is part of a deal between President Juan Carlos Varela’s administration and Finmeccanica sealed in February that included the conglomerate’s scrapping of plans to take “legal action against the state” of Panama, the government said.
Under the terms of the agreement, Panama did not have to pay about $42.2 million and received $31.6 million in credit to purchase new helicopters, equipment and aircraft parts for its current fleet, officials said.
The negotiations between the parties took place after the Varela administration suspended the Italian firm’s contract in response to contracting irregularities during the 2009-2014 Martinelli administration.
The air ambulance will be used by the Panamanian National Naval Air Service and has the capacity to carry two pilots, two doctors and two patients from an accident scene to a hospital.
The deal with the Italian firm includes pilot training, four mechanics, one year of maintenance and a three-year warranty, the government said.
Thank you. I would like to get some information on healthcare in the Santa Catalina area. We own property there but I am concerned about availability of quality healthcare. Do you have any information on this? Enjoy your day.