Health tourism brings in 2.5% all travelers
Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso Rathe estimates that health tourism is responsible for around 2.5% of overall travel (4.5 million non-resident travelers in 2012) to the Dominican Republic. He believes the country is well positioned because of its geography and quality medical care at hospitals all around the country. He mentions the Hospital General Plaza de la Salud and its Cedimat affiliate, Homs in Santiago, and Hospiten in Santo Domingo and Punta Cana as examples of hospitals that are in demand by foreign travelers. Personalized attention, modern equipment, and lower costs are reasons why the services are being chosen. Cambiaso says that to make the sector more competitive, health clusters should be created, to provide logistical support. He feels the government should also consider providing incentives for health tourism and developing a legal framework to create synergies with health and wellness centers, hotels and health management plans, as reported in El Dia.
For some years now, the DR has been attractive for dental care, plastic surgery and other surgical operations.