A transitory resolution was issued by the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health in an official effort to guarantee patient’s safety in aesthetic plastic surgeries in the country.
The provision #606 contains a series of safety measures that will be valid until the Ministry develops final regulatory guidance and relevant protocols for the practice, in collaboration with specialized medical societies.
Out of the registered 56 plastic surgery clinics, only 21 are licensed. The criteria used appealed to the fact that aesthetic plastic surgery is amongst one of the most demanded services with medical tourism, especially liposuction, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), mammoplasty (breast reduction), and fat transfer for buttock lifting.
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The goal of the resolution is to guarantee the patient’s safety in aesthetic plastic surgeries in the Dominican Republic. One of the toughest measures for service providers is the two-month window for them to get accreditation, otherwise, they will be permanently closed.
“The centers will have 60 days, from the date of issue of this resolution, to get ready to be accredited, after that time, they will be inspected by the Directorate of Authorization and Accreditation of the Ministry of Public Health, being granted the terms established in Regulation 1138-03 so that they can be qualified, “says the resolution who warns that non-compliance with the requirements on the Clearance Technical Regulation and Accreditation of Medical and Surgical Centers, will be closed down permanently.
Battle on intrusion
During the press conference held at the ministry’s headquarters in Santo Domingo, they announced the closure of ‘Siluet Esthetic Clinic’, where Sharlim Almanzar Paulino, 26, died after having at least six surgical procedures for aesthetic purposes.
To battle intrusion, now it is required for the health centers to must submit a monthly report to the Ministry of Public Health containing the amount, type of surgery performed and name of the acting surgeon, as well as the age, sex, nationality, place of residence of the patient and the name of the Recovery House in which the post-operative care was provided.
Key public and private institutions will get a copy of the resolution, to ensure compliance, and they are the following:
- Ministry of Tourism
- National Health Service
- National Council of Competitiveness
- Dominican Health Tourism Association
- Dominican Medical School
- Dominican Society of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery
- Dominican Association of Recovery Homes
- National Association of Private Hospitals and Clinics
- Attorney General’s Specialized Crime Against Health Division
Another important plastic surgery safety measures require that before subjecting a patient to a surgical procedure, physicians must ensure that cardiovascular and pre-anesthetic evaluations are performed by medical specialists in their respective areas (cardiologists or internists and anesthesiologists) and before the procedure to ensure adequate risk stratification and the best medical management to prevent complications before, during and after surgery.
Thousands of international patients come to the Dominican Republic for aesthetic plastic surgery, mainly from the United States, about 3.5 hours from New York and 2.5 from Panama.
In order to reduce the risk of pulmonary thromboembolism and other surgical complications associated with air travel, you must wait 48 hours, minimum, to perform surgeries to people who have traveled to the country in this means of transport, provided that the duration of the flight is less than two hours; On flights of two or more hours, wait five days, minimum.
The measure covers the so-called Recovery Homes that offer services without an authorization license, which must cease their functions until they are granted authorization, provide care to patients undergoing cosmetic surgery.
From now on, the owners of these establishments have two months to request accreditation, otherwise, they will be closed permanently.