Dominican hospitals dedicate a large part of their budgets to attend Haitian patients. Whether in the emergency room or the maternity ward, Haitians’ very large presence is more than obvious. Doctors and nurses know basic Kryole (the lingua-franca of Haiti) to deal with patients more efficiently
Over 25% of all births registered in the nation’s maternity hospitals are Haitian. Well over 40% of post-partum fatalities are also Haitian. The main issue is certainly pre-natal care, or lack thereof, and issues of nutrition and blood pressure.
Dr. Mario Lama, the head of the National Health Service (SNS) and Public Health Minister Plutarco Arias have both spoken of the economic burden Haitian patients represent for the local hospitals. Dr. Arias cited that in a recent visit to the Dr. Estrella Ureña Hospital in Santiago, 14 of the 18 patients in the maternity ward were Haitian. He stated that it is “was unsustainable” for the Dominican state to continue financing late term women from the neighboring country.
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N Digital
6 December 2020