In the country it is estimated that around 40,000 cosmetic surgery procedures are carried out each year, of which more than 80% involve patients coming from abroad, especially Dominicans living overseas, or foreigners accompanied by Dominicans.
This high demand has led to a need for “recovery homes” where patients can stay following surgery and receive supervision from a healthcare professional.
In Santo Domingo there are between 80 and 100 of such establishments, the cost of which is usually included in the package offered by the surgery and the patients are transferred some 48 hours after surgery to recover.
Some of the after surgery case facilities were originally family homes, and some hotels which have fitted out rooms for this purpose. However, some patients choose to stay in apartment towers or other spaces which are not suitable for medical care. Most of these facilities are not registered or supervised by the health authorities, with the Department of Authorization and Accreditation at the Ministry of Health only having eight of these on record, Doctor Bruno Calderón, director of the Department of Authorization and Accreditation at the Ministry of Health, says that they are making an effort to formalize this sector and asks the public to report any irregularities so that his department can intervene. Irregularities would include that these centers must have a maximum of two beds in each bedroom, have an en suite bathroom, not be located in tower blocks, and there should be no animals present in the home or room.
The surgeries most in demand are breast augmentation and reduction and liposuction with the average age being between 25 and 40 and most patients come from the United States, Puerto Rico and Spain. In the last few years there has been an increase in patients from African countries.
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Listin Diario
2 October 2018
