More Haitians crossing over to give birth for free at Dominican public hospitals

Dolores

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The Abinader administration wants to find a solution to the Haitian birthing tourism dilemma that significantly raises the local public health costs. Dominican public hospitals are free and offer better medical care. There is a clandestine birthing tourism business that drops pregnant women off at Dominican hospitals just in time for these to give birth.

Dr. Mario Lama, director of the National Health Service, and himself an obstetrician/gynecologist, says Dominican public hospitals cannot deny service to anyone arriving via the emergency room. He explains that the last-minute care these women demand increases the maternal mortality rate in the country. He said that 47% of all maternal deaths are to foreign women this year, and all are Haitians with the exception of one.

Dr. Lama explains that maternal deaths are up 32% this year, with 170 deaths. The deaths are to...

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Auryn

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Birth tourism is a huge issue globally. Dominicans with the means will travel to the US for this.
Imagine the desperation and state of affairs in Haiti that women think public Dominican hospitals are a better option.

There are absolutely horrific stories of women’s birth experiences in this country.
 

bienamor

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Birth tourism is a huge issue globally. Dominicans with the means will travel to the US for this.
Imagine the desperation and state of affairs in Haiti that women think public Dominican hospitals are a better option.

There are absolutely horrific stories of women’s birth experiences in this country.
I have know a few that have done this and it's a 2 fold reason
1 they believe better care
2 US citizenship.
 
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NALs

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Birth tourism is a huge issue globally. Dominicans with the means will travel to the US for this.
Imagine the desperation and state of affairs in Haiti that women think public Dominican hospitals are a better option.

There are absolutely horrific stories of women’s birth experiences in this country.
The purpose of that is to get US citizenship upon birth. Any future social disruptions in the DR and they will not have any issues leaving the DR for the US or even other countries. The US government would send a rescue boat (now it would be several) to transport US citizens from the DR to US territory, usually to Puerto Rico. The samething happened during the Civil War in the 60's, the US government evacuated US citizens from the DR to PR "to save American lives," yet most were Dominicans. Many of the Dominicans that were evacuated as children still live in Puerto Rico, have Puerto Rican wives and part Puerto Rican children, etc.

The other side effect is fraud. Many Dominicans that have international insurance will stay quiet about it so that the US government / US tax payers foot the billof thousands of US dollars per birth. Many subject themselves to certain procedures (a popular one is taping their stomachs) soupon arrival to an airport in the USA the CDP wouldn't be able to recognize that they are pregnant. Labor starts a few weeks to days later and voila, a free birth with the kid getting US citizenship by doing almost nothing. After a few days is time to return to the DR to live the rest of their lives... unless something happens.

Having US citizenship also facilitates other things, such as eliminates the requirement for travelling at a whim to certain countries.Makes it extremely easy to insert into US life since a person with US citizenship isn't asked much to getting a job, housing, etc in the USA. Dominicans can vote in US presidential elections. Etc, etc, etc. The good news is that the size of Dominicans relative to the rest of the US citizen population will never be enough for Dominicans to have control over the fate of Americans and/or the USA.

The big question left is what's the benefit of gaining Dominican citizenship upon birth? Lets ignore the ability to vote in Dominican elections and essentially control or gain much power over Dominicans, not to mention that a people would have to be near the amount of Dominicans or higher to have any effects on Dominican fate. Even less are needed to decide which political candidate wins an election and his political inclinations on various subjects such as immigration, to name one.
 
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melphis

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Build a wall. I know it sounds cold and heartless but the DR can't afford a basic health care system for it's own citizens. Why on earth should anyone think they are responsible for Haiti's problems.
 
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bob saunders

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It's not a 47% mortality rate. That would be insane. They are basically saying that half of the maternal deaths are Haitian women.
The problem is many of these Haitian women, and girls have health issues and pregnancy issues but see no doctor until they are ready to give birth so it is too late to treat or even look for these issues.
 

bob saunders

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Birth tourism is a huge issue globally. Dominicans with the means will travel to the US for this.
Imagine the desperation and state of affairs in Haiti that women think public Dominican hospitals are a better option.

There are absolutely horrific stories of women’s birth experiences in this country.
That is probably true but I know lots of young Dominican women, my wife employs about 50. Lot of babies and although I have heard of a couple of deaths a huge percentage have successful births. Here in Jarabacoa we have a number of very good pediatricians and several good gynecologists. Usually a problem pregnancy or difficult delivery will be in La Vega or Santiago, and yes we have lots of pregnant Haitians here as well, many on my block.
 

nanita

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The problem is many of these Haitian women, and girls have health issues and pregnancy issues but see no doctor until they are ready to give birth so it is too late to treat or even look for these issues.
Oh, absolutely!
I'm just saying that it's not a 47% mortality rate. That would be utterly insane. Even in Somalia, a failed state where women undergo female genital mutilation and have to have their vaginas literally sliced open to give birth, the maternal mortality rate is 7%, one of the highest in the world.
Let's not forget that giving birth is an entirely natural bodily function.
Edited to add: I think you've mistaken '47% of maternal deaths' with the overall maternal mortality rate which is not mentioned but is 1.5% in the DR.
 

bob saunders

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Oh, absolutely!
I'm just saying that it's not a 47% mortality rate. That would be utterly insane. Even in Somalia, a failed state where women undergo female genital mutilation and have to have their vaginas literally sliced open to give birth, the maternal mortality rate is 7%, one of the highest in the world.
Let's not forget that giving birth is an entirely natural bodily function.
Edited to add: I think you've mistaken '47% of maternal deaths' with the overall maternal mortality rate which is not mentioned but is 1.5% in the DR.
The closest figure I could get was 95 per hundred thousand, which is bad but nowhere near the worse. Here is an article from 2011 and I imagine it hasn't got any better. https://cronkite.asu.edu/projects/buffett/dr/health_care.html
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/DOM/dominican-republic/infant-mortality-rate
 

nanita

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Auryn

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Lindsay/Matilda told a story about a Haitian mother she met when she still lived in Juan Dolio. The mother had been cut from hip to hip across her abdomen (and possibly from her navel to her solar plexus as well) in a pathetic attempt at a c-section. If I remember right, the mother didn’t realize this wasn’t normal procedure.
There is an older thread on DR1 detailing the experience of an expat woman who gave birth at HOMS. The treatment she experienced was an absolute nightmare.

Birth is a very natural process, but that is often not the case in the DR. The rate of c-sections is cause for alarm, desperate Haitians with pregnancy complications aside. As an emergency measure they are necessary, but a natural birth has been proven to be better for the mother and the child whenever possible. They will not allow optional c-sections in most places in Canada without good reason. In the DR, it’s Plan A unless a mother finds the right doctor.

There used to be an American nurse who worked in Santiago on this forum who called out the sad state of maternal health in this country. She did not mince words and was working very hard to make a difference.
 

nanita

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Lindsay/Matilda told a story about a Haitian mother she met when she still lived in Juan Dolio. The mother had been cut from hip to hip across her abdomen (and possibly from her navel to her solar plexus as well) in a pathetic attempt at a c-section. If I remember right, the mother didn’t realize this wasn’t normal procedure.
There is an older thread on DR1 detailing the experience of an expat woman who gave birth at HOMS. The treatment she experienced was an absolute nightmare.

Birth is a very natural process, but that is often not the case in the DR. The rate of c-sections is cause for alarm, desperate Haitians with pregnancy complications aside. As an emergency measure they are necessary, but a natural birth has been proven to be better for the mother and the child whenever possible. They will not allow optional c-sections in most places in Canada without good reason. In the DR, it’s Plan A unless a mother finds the right doctor.

There used to be an American nurse who worked in Santiago on this forum who called out the sad state of maternal health in this country. She did not mince words and was working very hard to make a difference.
I think the DR has the highest rate of c-sections in the world, which is truly incredible. There are multiple reasons for this, none of them good. Here's hoping women can be educated to advocate for themselves, their health and their babies.
On a not unrelated note, the use of baby formula is also widespread and many women do not wish to breastfeed.
 

NanSanPedro

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I think the DR has the highest rate of c-sections in the world, which is truly incredible. There are multiple reasons for this, none of them good. Here's hoping women can be educated to advocate for themselves, their health and their babies.
On a not unrelated note, the use of baby formula is also widespread and many women do not wish to breastfeed.

What are the reasons given? I would like to understand.
 

johne

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Original thread is very similar to a situation in NYC that has built a cottage industry for birthing rights for mothers- to -be from China. Very well organized with plane loads at a time, to houses, doctors etc. There was a crack down reported in the news (2019?) but I have no idea what's happening since Covid. So, you see how it is all relative in a way. Hatians seeling a better ;life in the DR and Chineese seeking a better life in the USA. Probably exists in many parts of the world. I doubt a perimeter fence is doable unless you =ue Trump as a consultant and even if there was a fence that is not going to stop the practice.
 

JD Jones

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Oh, absolutely!
I'm just saying that it's not a 47% mortality rate. That would be utterly insane. Even in Somalia, a failed state where women undergo female genital mutilation and have to have their vaginas literally sliced open to give birth, the maternal mortality rate is 7%, one of the highest in the world.
Let's not forget that giving birth is an entirely natural bodily function.
Edited to add: I think you've mistaken '47% of maternal deaths' with the overall maternal mortality rate which is not mentioned but is 1.5% in the DR.
Right. The doctor said "47% of all maternal deaths are foreign women this year, and all are Haitians with the exception of one."
 
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windeguy

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Original thread is very similar to a situation in NYC that has built a cottage industry for birthing rights for mothers- to -be from China. Very well organized with plane loads at a time, to houses, doctors etc. There was a crack down reported in the news (2019?) but I have no idea what's happening since Covid. So, you see how it is all relative in a way. Hatians seeling a better ;life in the DR and Chineese seeking a better life in the USA. Probably exists in many parts of the world. I doubt a perimeter fence is doable unless you =ue Trump as a consultant and even if there was a fence that is not going to stop the practice.
There is a huge difference. In the US a birth to a woman from any country produces a US citizen baby, an anchor baby.


In the DR, when a Haitian mother gives birth and there is a Haitian father, it produces another Haitian that might return to Haiti or perhaps remains illegally in the DR. I see the death rates have already been explained.