Health centers in the Dominican Republic continue to improve and upgrade their services offer to health travelers, in a growing industry known for its cost-effectiveness and value.
Based on the destination environment, the medical tourism industry, the quality of facilities, and services, the Dominican Republic reaches 15th place in what is also known as medical tourism.
Compared to 2015, the country moved up three spots, according to the International Healthcare Research Center, which ranks medical destinations on a global scale.
Our current tourism industry stats speaks for itself: In 2017, 6.1 million tourists arrived in the Dominican Republic by air, according to the Central Bank, which explains that the growth dynamics in the arrival of tourists to the country during the past year responds to the work promoted jointly by the public and private sector.
We have the opportunity to expand our tourism services offer, given our strategic location, air connectivity, ease of doing business, and the no seasonality of the medical traveler, to name a few points.
Health Centers in the Dominican Republic
Medical Travel outlines a unifying factor among high-quality health centers on the island.
All of them have been working towards providing top-quality services for travelers while strengthening the native health sector for the benefit of locals.
Like any other upcoming economic field, it does take time to consolidate and sharpen the standard services protocols, legal framework, best practices, as well as local and international accreditation.
In that sense, the 4th International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress is the ideal scenario for the industry’s value chain to create synergies and continue to grow.
Major national health centers, global medical tourism authorities, the diplomatic community, and representatives of the financial, health, tourism, academic, and investment sectors gather from September 5-7th at the Renaissance Santo Domingo Jaragua Hotel and Casino.
The following is a list of a few health centers in the Dominican Republic that have embraced the Medical Travel industry:
CEDIMAT
According to Cedimat, they are among the top heart centers of the Caribbean, serving more than 200,000 international and local patients.
Their medical services include their cardiovascular center, the Dominican Gamma Knife center, and the Saviacare Advance Radiotherapy center.
The Gamma Knife equipment is considered the gold standard treatment for Cerebral Radiosurgery and the only one approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Central Romana Medical Center
The Central Romana Medical Center is a modern three-level hospital with 84 beds, four surgeries with state-of-the-art medical equipment, including the Olympus Endo Alpha system or Intelligent Operating Room for general and laparoscopic high-tech surgery.
Each year, the entities doctors tag with foreign and national foundations, such as Healing the Children and Operation Smile, which bring renowned U.S. physician’s to the country to perform general and pediatric surgical interventions free of charge.
Their medical portfolio includes ophthalmology, urology, and specialties in plastic hand surgery and other corrective practices.
Espaillat Cabral Institute
The Espaillat Cabral Institute is an international reference for those who search for eye care.
According to the health center, their mission is “to be a global benchmark of quality in ophthalmology, promoting education, scientific development, and visual health prevention.”
Its medical director, Dr. Arnaldo Espaillat, is affiliated with more than ten national and international professional associations like the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
Grupo Rescue
Grupo Rescue has more than 30 years of experience working with international insurance companies and is now expanding its services to the global medical tourism market.
The entity reported that 17,000 medical travelers visited their facilities in 2017.
The health network comprises two modern buildings: Bournigal Medical Center (CMBO) in Puerto Plata and Punta Cana Medical Center.
According to Grupo Rescue, CMBO is the largest private hospital on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. Recently, Grupo Rescue unveiled the Dr. Carlos Burroughs Surgery Room.
“We have one of the most modern surgery rooms of the country, which complies with all the requirements of the Dominican health system, and surpasses them in some cases, as well as international standards from the United States and Canada,” said Dr. Luis Eduardo Redondo, a plastic surgeon at CMBO.
The city of Puerto Plata is nearby major hotels, cultural landmarks, tourist attractions, and less than 15 minutes from the Gregorio Luperon International Airport, and one hour from the Cibao International Airport.
Punta Cana Medical Center is a level III facility, located in the heart of the tourist destination of Punta Cana, roughly within 15 minutes from the Punta Cana International airport, and minutes away from major hotels, shopping centers, golf, excursions, and attractions.
It is staffed by 42 board-certified English speaking physicians and 290 healthcare professionals that cover Ophthalmology, Orthopedic Surgery, Urology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Cardiology, among other fields.
Plaza de la Salud
This major hospital among the first in establishing an international department.
They hold many centers of high-quality treatment. Among them: Uroplaza (Urology), Oncoplaza (Oncology), the Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Unit, and the Preventive Healthcare Unit.
- Fact: In the Dominican Republic, there are three centers working toward the accreditation process for the Joint Commission International (HGPS, HOMS, CEDIMAT).
Plaza de la Salud General Hospital (HGPS, for its acronym in Spanish) holds local and international memberships and certifications, including International Patient Services Certification, the Medical Tourism Association, ISO 9001, and others.
HOMS
The Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago (HOMS) is located at the heart of the Dominican Republic, and they are best known for being the pioneers of robotic surgery in Central America and the Caribbean, receiving both local and international patients.
The Institute of Robotic Surgery Samadi-HOMS is composed of four ultramodern operating rooms and assists patients who need urological robotic surgery, gynecology, head, neck, oncology, and robotic surgery in general.
For the second straight time, the Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago -HOMS- sponsors the International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress.
HOMS has positioned itself as a reference center in these areas:
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular
- Weight Loss Surgery
- Preventive Medicine
As one of the main health centers in the Dominican Republic, the Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago holds more than 40 medical and surgical specialties, 177 medical offices, 298 single exterior rooms, 12 suites one room for metabolic treatments.
