Francisco Cabrera Panasco from Lanzarote took office as president of the College of Dentists of Las Palmas (COELP) on June 1, thus revalidating his mandate after the electoral process recently held within the collegiate institution, which had a single candidacy and culminated with the final proclamation by the electoral board of the new elected positions.
During the inauguration ceremony, Cabrera Panasco reaffirmed "his commitment and that of the new collegiate board to defend the interests of the profession and Dentistry." "Dentists develop an indispensable specialty for the health of the population in our province," said Cabrera Panasco, and recalled that, during the past legislature, "although from March 2020, we had to face the priorities imposed by the pandemic, the collegiate action did not depart from its objectives, crucial for the profession and for the protection of the oral health of the population."
From the College, they point out that such strategic objectives led, for example, to the approval of the new collegiate Statute – in force since February 2022 – or to the opening, during the last four years, of 13 criminal proceedings for crimes of intrusion in different judicial districts of the province – a problem against which a constant and intense activity has been developed aimed at pursuing and prosecuting intruders, and which remains a priority for the new government board –. "A total of three firm convictions for crimes of intrusion and injuries were achieved in the past legislature, and the COELP is currently awaiting a new sentence in another judicial process," they detail from the College.
"Strengthening the fluid dialogue, achieved during this period with the Administration and with the agents involved in the health sector, is also proposed as a fundamental aspect in the new legislature," they point out from the College of Dentists. "To continue advancing in our purpose of guaranteeing the optimal development of the professional activity of dentists in Las Palmas, and to consolidate the health character of a Dentistry based on ethics and quality, which has the oral health of our patients as a priority," said the president of COELP during the inauguration ceremony.
Francisco Cabrera Panasco also highlighted the importance of "counting on the members and promoting dialogue with them", an aspect that he considers "essential" after the acute phase of the pandemic, with initiatives in accordance with the demands of the membership and the current context.
Finally, the president had words of thanks to the members of the outgoing board who have left their positions. "Their work has been decisive for the advancement of our College in recent years," says Panasco, referring to the members Justo Sosa Doreste, Adriana Izcoa Reina and Luis Carlos Ojeda Perestelo. He also thanked the commitment and involvement of the members who have decided to join the task of government.
"This new board will continue working with the same dedication and the same degree of honesty, commitment, rigor and transparency as that demonstrated to date," concluded Cabrera Panasco.
In this way, the composition of the College of Dentists of Las Palmas remains as follows: Francisco Cabrera Panasco, president; Agilberto López Espino, vice president; Juan Luis Mejías Torrús, general secretary; Roshan Naraindas Melwani Sadhwani, treasurer; María Elena Suárez Cáceres, member; Daida Hernández Vega, member; Santiago Martínez Ramos, member; David Rodríguez Fernández, member of Fuerteventura; Manuel Martín Luque, Member of Gran Canaria, and Pedro Medina Sáenz, member of Lanzarote.
Regarding the collegiate commissions, Francisco Cabrera Panasco will be the president of the 'PADICAN Commission'; Juan Luis Mejías Torrús, the president of the 'Scientific and Continuing Education Commission', and Roshan Naraindas Melwani Sadhwani, president of the 'Ethics and Deontology Committee'.