Haitian women have continued to give birth in record numbers in the Dominican Republic, with September 2024 marking the highest number of births among Haitian mothers so far this year. The reason, health services have collapsed in Haiti, and birthing services are free and readily available in the Dominican Republic.
According to data from the National Health Service’s Repository of Information and Statistics on Health Services (Riess), 63,787 births were recorded in the Dominican Republic from January to September 2024. Of this figure, 21,881 or 34.3% were Haitian mothers, while Dominican mothers accounted for the remaining 65.5%. There are several hospitals on the border and in major cities, where the percentage of Haitian births is greater than that of Dominican births.
September alone witnessed a significant surge in births, with 9,990 babies born. Haitian women contributed 3,900 of these births, making it the month with the highest number of deliveries by Haitian mothers in 2024. These figures are comparable to those recorded in September 2023 when 3,848 Haitian women gave birth in the Dominican Republic.
The Maternidad de Los Mina, a maternity hospital, has is a popular choice for Haitian mothers seeking the free childbirth services.
Haitian women, regarding if they are documented or not, receive the same treatment as Dominican women when arriving to the public hospitals. The Haitian women arrive to the emergency rooms to give birth. Most do not have pre-birth check up records, and hundreds arrive with major complications.
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Diario Libre
31 October 2024