The Listin Diario reported yesterday that the Public Health Ministry has begun to deliver to the public hospital due funds. Yesterday afternoon, administrators of the hospitals visited the financial manager of the ministry to receive certain allotments. The newspaper reported that the government is two to four months behind in making payments to the hospitals, which has caused the public health system to crumble. The government operates 159 public hospitals nationwide. Allotments to public health facilities for last year totalled RD$41.7 million and the government promises RD$63.7 million for this year, according to the Listin. Ernesto Castillo, financial director of the Public Health Ministry, promised that the allotment to the Dario Contreras Trauma Center would increase from RD$2 million a month last year to RD$3 million.
Meanwhile, the Listin Diario reports that the physicians at the Pearl Ort burn center were referring patients to the Plaza de la Salud and the Seguro Social hospitals because they did not have supplies to assist the patients, as the government has not met their allotments for October, November and December of last year.