The general director of the Instituto Dominicano de Seguro Social (IDSS), Admiral Orestes Guerrero, assured the suppliers to the government’s medical insurance plan that the more than RD$100 million owed to them will be paid little by little as the IDSS gets back on its financial feet. Just days before his comments last week, Admiral Guerrero had complained that the suppliers had refused to deliver necessary medical equipment to IDSS hospitals, fearing that with a new government in power after 16 August their debt would not be recognized.
Admiral Guerrero rejected that idea, saying that the IDSS is an autonomous organization that has always honored its commitments. He pointed out that the IDSS did, indeed, frequently issue checks in 1995 that were not paid, but that since January of this year such practices have ceased. Admiral Guerrero also stated that the almost seven month doctors’ strike which affected IDSS hospitals was another factor in the organization’s financial troubles.