President Danilo Medina reopened the fully refurbished Dr. Dario Contreras Hospital yesterday, upgrading to a university teaching center, on Monday 23 February 2015, declaring that it would always serve the poor. He said the public hospital is all new and offers quality standards beyond those of the country’s top hospitals, both public and private.
Medina said that better health and education contribute to improving poor people’s living standards. He said they deserved quality hospitals of the standard that Dario Contreras now has. He went on to say that the Health Risk Administrators (ARS) should pay for the service. While public hospitals used to provide free services, health plan affiliates will now be billed.
The new Dario Contreras is now part of a public hospital network that includes the Marcelino Velez Hospital, the Luis Aybar Hospital (under construction), the Leopoldo Martinez Hospital in Hato Mayor and the Cabral and Baez Hospital in Santiago. All are being operated under the same principles of quality services for the poor.
The hospital was rebuilt at a cost of RD$1.6 billion and has a trauma center with six maxillofacial consulting rooms, two eye consulting rooms, two for plastic surgery, two waiting rooms, two physiotherapy rooms, and operating theater, among other facilities.
Presidency Minister Gustavo Montalvo, Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jose Ramon Peralta, Treasury Minister Simon Lizardo, Education Minister Carlos Amarante Baret and Minister for Women Alejandrina German attended the event.
The President was accompanied by his assistants, Carlos Pared Perez and Robert de la Cruz, as well as Santo Domingo Provincial governor Juan Frias, Santo Domingo East Mayor Juan de los Santos, Dominican Medical Association president Pedro Sing Urena, Metropolitan Regional Health Service director Felix Hernandez, Public Hospitals Network coordinator Ramon Alvarado, along with other legislators, relatives of Dr. Dario Contreras, government members, business sector representatives and guests.
http://presidencia.gob.do/noticias/danilo-medina-nuevo-dario-contreras-debera-ser-siempre-para-los-pobres
http://www.sespas.gov.do/Danilo-Medina-Nuevo-Dario-Contreras-debera-ser-siempre-para-los-pobres
Las ARS tendrán que pagar los servicios en el Darío Contreras