A PUBLICITY  stunt  intended to raise awareness of breast cancer  has created  a storm of criticism on social media and in  environmental circles.

The $300,000 project involved installing a 1,720 square meter pink colored vinyl cover of  an area of forest  on the mountain ridge, known as La India Dormida (the sleeping Indian) in El Valle De Anton.

The area covered was a “symbolic”  breast of the sleeping Indian

The cover was in place for over a week when the criticism came   raining down on the office of Panama’s First Lady Lorena Castillo.

Work to uninstall it began on Friday, September 23, and was expected to be finished on Sunday.

The awareness campaign included videos and tours to health clinics .A direct contract was awarded to Cerebro JCM Advertising agency. The funds were donated by China-Taiwan.

"Debate all you want if you like it or not but go and make your test." Said   former journalist Castillo de Varela, wife of President, Juan Carlos Varela.

Mario Urriola, director of the Tropical Wonders Serpentarium, located in the area where the publicity stunt took place said that

a week and a half of life at most is what is estimated for animals covered by the gigantic mantle.

In his view, the problem is that the cover, creates a kind of sauna that affects the grass and plants .

However, the Office of the First Lady ensured that there is no impact on the area.

Acccording to the official technical report of the campaign, signed by Presidency Minister Alvaro Aleman, and Ana Maria De Leon,  Office of the First Lady  the promo    involved the symbolic covering of  the bosom of La India Dormida, producing two videos with messages about the importance of prevention of breast cancer, including testimonies; and the development of  of talks on health awareness and prevention of cancer in health centers

With this money, says a La Prensa report, it would have been possible to buy a digital mammography machine in the Panamanian market for $178 540, ITBMS included.

The equipment used to detect breast cancer in women is lacking in a large percentage of public hospitals in the country.