SANTO DOMINGO. – The heads of the National Health Service (SNS) and the General Directorate of Migration (DGM) supervised this Monday the start of the implementation of the new immigration verification protocol in the 33 public hospitals where approximately 80 percent of all foreign births in the Dominican Republic take place.
Dr. Mario Lama, of the SNS, and Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Ballester, ARD, of the DGM, visited the Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia maternity ward and the San Lorenzo de Los Mina Maternal and Child Hospital, where they toured the areas and verified compliance with current immigration regulations, ensuring medical care for patients.
Lama affirmed that the implementation of this procedure prioritizes the universal right to health and the dignity of individuals, and that the facilities where immigration agents will be permanently present will continue to offer humane care to patients, in accordance with the provisions of President Luis Abinader.
He also said that the procedure for managing health services for foreign patients responds to the need to guarantee the sustainability of the health system and therefore includes charging foreigners for medications, supplies, and expendable materials. This cost does not include medical fees or administrative services, to ensure equitable care for the population.
The Director of the DGM, for his part, explained that immigration interdiction operations will not be activated within the public health network, but rather that they will be carried out within the hospitals’ operational cycle, based on the dynamics of their operations while adhering to the current immigration control protocol.
He stated that DGM agents will take action after the patient’s medical care cycle is completed, ensuring compliance with national and international legal provisions and the health of every human being living in Dominican territory, regardless of their immigration status.
“After receiving care, in the case of emergencies, hospitalization, or childbirth, the patient’s immigration status will be assessed, and once the patient is discharged and does not pose a risk to their health, they will be repatriated to their home country,” he said.
Lama and Lee Ballester were welcomed to supervise the work by Dr. Yocasta Lara, director of SNS hospitals; Dr. Jorge Arturo Jiménez, director of the La Altagracia maternity ward; and Dr. Armando Camejo Cepeda, director of the Los Mina hospital. Also participating in the activities were Brigadier General Pilot Juan Carlos Vicente Pérez, FARD; Laura Maríñez; and Colonel Manuel Antonio Carrasco, ERD, directors of Immigration Intelligence, Legal Affairs, and Immigration Control at the DGM, respectively.
Communications Directorate