American Chamber and Ministry of Health meet to discuss health sector challenges and opportunities

• AMCHAMDR presented its Health Committee, which will focus on four strategic pillars: innovation; universal access and coverage; financial sustainability; and transparency and clear rules.

Santo Domingo, D.N.- Under the theme “Challenges and opportunities for the Dominican health sector”, the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR) held a meeting with the country’s Ministry of Health to address the main challenges facing the sector and discuss approaches to resolving them.

At the meeting, the Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Rivera, recognised AMCHAMDR as an organisation that creates spaces and contributes proposals to improve the sustainability of businesses and jobs, praised the impact of public-private partnerships and gave a presentation highlighting the initiatives under way to develop a National Strategic Health Plan.

During his speech, the Minister of Public Health highlighted the Dominican Republic’s achievements on COVID-19: being the first country to guarantee vaccination for all citizens, the third to administer a third booster dose, one of the countries with the lowest fatality rates in the world and among the first to use Tocilizumab in severe patients. It was also the sixth country in Latin America to vaccinate children and a benchmark for research by Johns Hopkins University.

The president of Grupo Humano, Eduardo Cruz, who also chairs the Chamber’s Health Committee, emphasised the lessons learned from the COVID-19 health crisis in the country’s health system, urging people not to let their guard down and to keep working to improve it.

“The Dominican Republic has been a regional and global example for its extraordinary response to the crisis through a public-private partnership, both in treating health conditions and in vaccination,” said Cruz. “However, this pandemic taught us the importance of having an articulated and coordinated, strong and sustainable health system to guarantee the health of all Dominicans.”

He also reiterated the commitment of AMCHAMDR’s Health Committee to contribute to transforming the Dominican health system, supporting innovation projects that promote the sector’s accessibility, coverage and sustainability.

As part of the event, a panel was held with Dr. Mario Lama, director of the National Health Service (SNS); Dr. Eladio Pérez, Vice-Minister of Collective Health at the Ministry of Health; and Dr. Gastón Gabin, president of Integra and vice-chair of AMCHAMDR’s Health Committee, moderated by Eduardo Cruz, executive president of Humano and chair of the Health Committee.

The panellists highlighted the need to include technology in the Dominican health system, strengthen human resources, establish financial sustainability strategies in the health governing bodies and maintain a public hospital system with efficient, quality services and adequate equipment.

Closing the meeting, Dr. Gastón Gabin invited those present to jointly support and encourage the initiatives of AMCHAMDR’s Health Committee to drive the ongoing wellbeing of the country’s health sector.

“Given the strategic importance of the sector, as a Chamber we see the value of creating a space like this to exchange ideas in order to contribute to our country’s health agenda, an agenda that operates with common goals alongside the Ministry of Health of the Dominican Republic,” he added.

AMCHAMDR’s Health Committee pursues four strategic pillars: innovation, led by Gabin; universal access and coverage, led by Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso, president of the Dominican Health Tourism Association; financial sustainability, led by Cruz; and transparency and clear rules, led by Mary Fernández, partner at Headrick Rizik, Álvarez y Fernández.

This edition of #AmchamDRTalks was supported by the brands of the AMCHAMDR Elite Circle: AES Dominicana, Altice, Barrick Pueblo Viejo, Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, Citi, HIT Puerto Río Haina, Humano, Inicia, Grupo Martí, Grupo Rica, Grupo SID and Squire Patton Boggs, and sponsored by Banreservas, Integra, Banco Popular, AF Comunicación Estratégica, Banco BHD, Puerto Caucedo and Banesco.

About the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR)

The American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR) is a non-profit association, legally incorporated on 8 November 1923, that fosters a healthy investment climate based on access to knowledge, opportunities and a culture of best practices for the socio-economic and professional development of its members. AMCHAMDR is affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and is a founding member of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA).

AMCHAMDR works on an agenda designed to connect its members and keep them informed of new trends in the world of business, markets and indicators both nationally and internationally. Its range of services is designed to add value for its members, offering concrete solutions and identifying opportunities for business and professional growth.

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