HISTORY

In January 2004, Dr. Ramón Manuel Botacio Peñalba, after having graduated in colposcopy and cervical pathology at the General Hospital of Mexico, founded the Cervical Cancer Prevention Unit (UNIPREV), in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama.

The province of Veraguas, due to its geographical position, has a privileged location in the center of the country, being an area of easy access for patients from the 10 provinces and 3 regions of the national territory.

The UNIPREV was founded with preventive mysticism, whose general objective is: to decrease the high incidence rate and mortality due to cervical cancer.

Within its specific objectives is the diagnosis and timely treatment of pre-invasive lesions, educational activities directed to health professionals and the general population -conferences in different institutions of the country-; As well as promoting prevention through informative bulletins, distributing 20,000 copies each year, for a total of 220.000, divided into 12 different bulletins.

We have carried out relevant academic activities such as the first Colposcopy and Pathology of the Lower Genital Tract Certification Program in Panama, with the endorsement of the University of Panama. In addition, the First Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy Course for Nurses; As well as international congresses and symposiums.

With the preventive work against cervical cancer done in the UNIPREV, we have managed to create a new culture of colposcopy in Panama. Confirming that it is an effective and necessary methodology, as the fundamental basis of the program for the prevention of cervical cancer.

After these 10 years of successful operation of the UNIPREV and the great acceptance of colposcopy by the population, it was a good time for the transition of the UNIPREV to the NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF COLPOSCOPY (INACOLP), founded by DR. RAMÓN M. BOTACIO P. with the aim of providing greater coverage in clinical care for the diagnosis and timely treatment of cancer precursor lesions in the Lower Genital Tract: cervix, vagina, vulva and anus.

In the clinical aspect, during the 10 years of UNIPREV and now INACOLP operations, we have carried out approximately 70000 diagnostic colposcopies and 7000 curative electrosurgeries to patients with premalignant lesions preventing invasive cancer from advancing, fulfilling the complete cycle of prevention: TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT.

The INACOLP has a modern physical infrastructure, as well as Highly Specialized Human Resources, with solid First-World academic formation, which allows us to offer ADVANCED COLPOSCOPY, VAGINOSCOPY, VULVOSCOPY, HIGH-RESOLUTION ANOSCOPY, ANDROSCOPY and ADVANCED HYSTEROSCOPY studies in a professional and suitable way, supported by cutting edge technological equipment.