Superintendent of Health and Labor Risks, Fernando Caamano Valdez is calling for Congress to pass the bill that seeks to create the Single Public Health Network integrated with the Ministry of Public Health. He believes that the Dominican Social Security Institute (IDSS) should be eliminated. He said that although this had been the plan at the start of the Medina administration, it had been stopped by private interests. The network would open primary care centers nationwide where patients would go first, before being referred to a specialist. He said that most patient care cases could be treated at the primary care level. At present, patients usually decide which specialist to go to on their own, rather than consulting with a general practitioner first. He said this would free up specialized centers to deal with the more complicated cases.
He also commented that by introducing a primary health care system the country would also reduce the high cost of assisting women from Haiti coming to give birth here.