CHITRE, Panama –
U.S. Air Force biomedical equipment technicians (BMET) and Panamanian counterparts are working side by side throughout Panama’s Los Santos Province during AMISTAD 2025.
For two weeks, a three-member U.S. Air Force team is embedded with Panamanian BMETs across hospitals and clinics in the province ensuring critical medical equipment remains operational while strengthening long-term partnerships.
“I learned a lot working alongside the U.S. team, especially new ways to test and troubleshoot equipment,” said Natividad Bernal, biomedical equipment technician at Hospital Cecilio Castillero. “It’s been a great opportunity to exchange knowledge.”
Senior Airman Dejon Watson, a BMET from Travis Air Force Base, California, said the experience has underscored just how important their mission is to patient care.
“Our job is crucial because if the equipment isn’t working, the doctors can’t do their jobs,” Watson said. “Here in Chitré, we’ve repaired dental chairs, secured a water line and replaced components in other machines to keep them safe and reliable. Every piece of equipment we touch directly impacts the care patients can receive.”
In addition to work at Hospital Cecilio Castillero in Chitré, the team plan to visit several hospitals and rural clinics that currently have no host-nation BMET assigned, helping identify needs and repair vital medical machines.
The shoulder-to-shoulder collaboration gave Watson a new perspective, noting that in Panama BMETs complete about four years of formal study, while in the U.S. Air Force technicians undergo a one-year technical program followed by extensive on-the-job training — two different paths that build capable professionals with unique strengths.
Even with differences in training and language, the partnership has been seamless. Watson explained that the technical nature of the work often bridges the gap.
“If a translator isn’t available, we rely on gestures or slowing down speech, but we figure it out,” Watson said. “Tools are tools, and our job is technical so as long as we stay patient, we can understand each other and get the job done.”
Bernal agreed, adding that AMISTAD 2025 has already shown the long-term value of cooperation.
“My hope is that this mission shows the need for continued investment in equipment and tools so we can do our jobs even more effectively,” Bernal said. “But most importantly, it’s about exchanging knowledge. That’s what we are doing now and that is what will stay with us long after the mission is over.”
That spirit of lasting exchange is central to AMISTAD 2025, which brings U.S. and partner nation medical teams together not only to deliver care, but also to increase readiness and strengthen relationships across the region.
For Watson, that bigger mission carried personal meaning. “To be here representing the U.S. Air Force is a big deal for me,” Watson said. “I hope when I go home, I can say I made a difference — not just fixing equipment, but building friendships and leaving something lasting behind.”
As AMISTAD 2025 continues across Los Santos Province, U.S. and Panamanian BMETs emphasized that maintaining equipment is more than a technical task — it’s about building trust and ensuring hospitals and clinics can deliver care when it’s needed most.