Minister-to-be of Public Health, Dr. Jose Rodriguez Soldevilla said in an interview in the Listin Diario newspaper that he would try to obtain European Union funding for the construction of four hospitals on the Haitian side of the Dominican border. He said he would seek soft loans or donations from international organizations to build the hospitals. The 20-30 bed units would be built near the Dominican frontier cities of Pedernales, Jimaní, Elías Piña and Dajabón, to serve Haitians who today risk making the crossing to receive free assistance at Dominican public hospitals. He said the Ministry of Public Health would contribute the Dominican medical personnel to staff the hospitals. Nevertheless, he said that all patients, regardless of their nationality, that would cross over, would be attended at Dominican public hospitals. Rodríguez Soldevilla, who was Minister of Public Health during the President Antonio Guzmán government (1978-1982), also proposed to build a trauma hospital at Km. 28 of the Duarte Highway, in order to decongestion the Darío Contreras trauma center in Santo Domingo. He said the PRD government would come through with campaign promises of building hospitals in Los Alcarrizos, Villa Mella, Los Mameyes and finishing the Herrera Hospital. Furthermore, he spoke of expanding the Luis Eduardo Aybar hospital, and its burn center. Rodríguez Soldevilla also favors the creation of private and semi-private wards at public hospitals.
