The director of the public transportation department (OTTT) Antonio Reynoso said that if the Coordinator of Popular and Taxi Driver Unions, known for leading the organization of strikes in the DR, maintains its call to a nationwide day of protest for this Wednesday, the OTTT would provide free transportation that day. Construction of more hospitals criticized Health researcher Reynaldo Peguero disputes the government’s argument that the country needs more hospitals. Minister of Public Health Jose Rodriguez Soldevilla recently said on a TV talk show that new hospitals had to be built because the population has grown. However, in today’s Listin Diario, Peguero says that in 1946 there were 18 hospitals in the DR for a population of about 2 million. From 1946 to 2001, the Dominican population grew 4.4 times. But the number of medical centers increased 41.5 times. Peguero points out that the worst time to build hospitals is when major health system reforms are being undertaken. He insists that the Ministry of Public Heath should focus its efforts on improving the efficiency of existing hospitals. “A 20% increase in efficiency is equal to building 10 new medical centers,” he said. “It is not time for steel rods and cement, but for order, norms and rulings,” he writes.
