Ministry of Health and DGM reinforce actions to guarantee health security at immigration control points
SANTO DOMINGO.– The Minister of Health, Víctor Atallah, and the Director General of Migration, Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, ARD, held a strategic meeting focused on strengthening health security measures at border crossings, ports and airports in the country.
During the meeting, both institutions highlighted the importance of working in synergy to improve the capacity for early detection and response to possible health risks at immigration checkpoints, within a framework of respect for human rights and the dignity of people.
The meeting highlighted the importance of implementing preventive measures to detect suspected cases of communicable diseases, always in accordance with international and national regulations, ensuring a balance between compliance with the General Migration Law (Law 285-04) and the well-being of the Dominican population.
In this regard, joint actions will be prioritized in critical areas of the border, particularly in binational markets, to strengthen health security at the entrances to the national territory. This joint effort seeks to preserve public health standards in the Dominican Republic, in the face of the challenges posed by international mobility.
The Minister of Health highlighted the progress in inter-institutional coordination as a key step towards strengthening health surveillance systems. He also reaffirmed his commitment to preventively address diseases such as cholera and malaria, present in the region, with a view to protecting both host communities and people in transit, thus contributing to the achievement of national health goals for 2028.
For his part, the Director General of Migration expressed his support for the work of the Ministry of Health, reiterating the institution's willingness to apply the current legal provisions with responsibility and sensitivity, ensuring that migration control is carried out in a comprehensive, ethical manner and in line with international best practices.
The meeting, held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health, was also attended by senior officials from both institutions, including the Vice Minister of Collective Health, Dr. Eladio Pérez, and representatives of the Center for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases and Zoonoses (CECOVEZ), among others.
Communications Department
