“If we can make a simile about something well known to everyone, which is health tourism, the Dominican Republic is with the plane on, at the head of the runway and ready to take off,” said Dr. José Natalio Redondo about the health tourism in the Dominican Republic.

In an interview at the end of the presentation of the Study and Diagnosis of Health and Welfare Tourism, the specialist in cardiology pointed out that this growth has been preceded by many years of work and that, in addition, the country has already been located at an important level because it has been receiving numerous international patients.

“I think that this activity has been a very strong support of the public sector, especially the Ministry of Tourism and Health and the National Competitiveness Council, which is that megastructure that exists in the country, now led by the president himself (Danilo) Medina and masterfully led by Rafael Paz. This has no chance of failure, “he said.

For Redondo, it is also important to assess the number of patients who are already leaving to go to other countries outside the Dominican Republic and who use the medical insurance of international travelers to attend locally.

Expectations of health tourism

Dr. José Redondo recalled that the number of health tourists who are arriving in the country is important and growth has been sustained.

“We value this from our own experience. The niche has a growth above 15 or 20 percent per year. If we do things right, if we do what has been proposed and with the participation of the main actors, we can easily duplicate it, “he said.

He also recalled that the Dominican Republic is a gateway to solve some problems that occur in the U.S. health sector:

• More than 40 percent of its population is not insured and has to pay out of their own pocket for any health situation.
• When it comes to medical conditions that require elective surgical procedures, do not have where to do it because it would mean the broken family banking.

He thought that thanks to the high level of connectivity, the closeness, and the country’s capacity, it is possible to consolidate medical travel and provide different services to this type of international visitors.

“We have more than 40 daily flights from the east coast of the United States to the Dominican Republic in most destinations where there is health tourism, which are Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, basically, and Santiago, and La Romana”, said Redondo.

Currently, Dr. Redondo is developing the Sanitary City Rescue Group, a mega project in Bávaro / Punta Cana.

This medical care project for Dominicans and foreigners will include orthopedic robotic surgery, continuing medical education, hotel for the recovery of patients and relatives.

At the end of the interview, the health expert emphasized that all the studies and analyses of experts on the subject affirm that the potential of the Dominican Republic is the highest in terms of health tourism.

Who is Dr. José Natalio Redondo

He is an internist and cardiologist.

Dr. Redondo served a president of the Association of Hotels, Restaurants, and Tourism Companies of the North (ASHONORTE).

Dr. Redondo is one of the main promoters of medical travel in the Dominican Republic through its national network of medical services Grupo Rescue, which has a presence in most of the country’s tourist areas.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of ASONAHORES and a member of the Advisory Board of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism.

At the 3rd Health and Wellness Tourism Congress, he was recognized as the leader of the tourist medicine of the country.

He was one of the founding presidents of the Puerto Plata Destination Tourism Cluster, as well as a member of the Dominican Council of Tourism Competitiveness (CDCT).