Dr. Mario Lama, the executive director of the National Health Service that manages hundreds of public health facilities in the Dominican Republic, told reporters of the Listin Diario that there is an abundance of “collateral businesses” going on in the public health system. He said these interfere with the successful operation of an efficient health service.
Citing one hospital in San Pedro de Macoris, the SNS director related how the government agency had installed a dialysis unit in the hospital, but suddenly the water seemed to be cut off. When that was solved, then there were electricity issues. He said behind the failures was the intention to refer the patients to a private clinic. He said the occurrences in many occasions are frequent enough for the health service to militarize the areas and install security cameras to ensure the services.
Lama noted that the system is stressed because of huge increases in public demand for services. For example, he noted that 2021 saw a 40% increase in services, where lab tests alone increased from 13 million in the pandemic year of 2020 to 18 million in 2021. Just in the first quarter of 2022 the system has provided 1.8 million doctor appointments; 1 million emergency services; nearly 5 million lab tests, close to 700,000 x-rays, and over 73,000 surgeries.
In his comments to the reporters, Dr. Lama noted that at least half of the nation’s public health hospital directors have degrees in hospital administration and others are currently enrolled in Master’s degree programs. He noted that hospital directors needed to have a solid knowledge to better understand the complexities and “historical situations” that are recurring events in many facilities.
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Listin Diario
Listin Diario
25 April 2022