Health researcher Reynaldo Peguero is warning about the futility of the government’s multi-million dollar plan to build more public hospitals. In Listin Diario newspaper, Peguero, an epidemiologist, says research shows the construction of more hospitals will not improve health services in the DR. He points out that a John Hopkins University study done in the 90s showed that the DR already has one of the highest rates of hospitals per person in the Americas. Furthermore, he said that there are currently 1,116 first level hospitals and 180 second and third level hospitals. Medical insurance plans list 300 affiliated private clinics in cities. Another 250 private centers operate nationwide and there are 5.5 beds per 1,000 inhabitants. The Ministry of Public Health has a low 4 patient occupancy per 10 beds. The problem is not the number of beds, rather the inefficiency of their use. At least 15 hospitals are pending completion. The private sector is building the large Santiago Metropolitan Hospital and others are under construction by private business in Santo Domingo. Now the Ministry of Public Work proposes to build another 20 hospitals with funds that are not allocated in the National Budget, but rather have been secured by lobbyists interested in accessing foreign loans. Furthermore, Mapet International has a contract with the state for the construction of 10 50-bed hospitals at a cost of almost US$50 million. “It will be interesting to know what the state will do with these new expensive and inefficient hospitals that later they will not be able to afford?” Peguero asks. He says instead the focus should be on ensuring that each hospital or private clinic operates under the established norms for health care services. He said the Ministry of Public Health cannot announce new hospitals without finishing the ones already under construction, such as that in Herrera and three others in Santiago. He also warns that the plans for more hospital construction contradict the new Social Security Law signed by President Mejia.
