Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, part of the group heading the preliminary administration of the new medical center being constructed on the grounds of the old Perla Antillana horse racing track, introduced the news media to two of the doctors based in Boston who will serve as liasons between the medical complex and Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital. The Centro de Diagnostico de Medicina Avanzada, the group of four hospitals currently being constructed, has a signed agreement with the two medical centers in Boston, which will provide financial and technical assistance. During a cocktail party given by the Cardinal, Dr. James Thrall of Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr. Juan Taveras of Harvard University Medical Center spoke of the work that the new hospitals will carry out with those in Boston.
Construction of the new medical center has been accelerated, according to some reports in the news media, but the law suit filed by Santo Domingo Mayor Rafael Subervi Bonilla is still in court. Mr. Subervi has continued his attack against the construction of the hospitals, claiming that the grounds of the old horse racing track belong to the city council and not the central government, which authorized and contracted private companies to begin building. It seems unlikely that construction will be halted, however, as the complex has the support of the central government and the contacts it has made with the hospitals in Boston.
22-28 March 1996