NewsWhore
08-26-2010, 04:30 PM
With the collapse of the already precarious Haitian medical system after the 12 January earthquake, Dominican public hospitals have been overburdened by Haitian migrants who are rapidly depleting hospital budgets. El Caribe reports that the Dario Contreras trauma hospital and the San Lorenzo de los Mina and La Altagracia maternity hospitals are treating an increasing number of Haitians who receive the same services as Dominicans. The directors say that Haitian patients receive the same care as Dominicans for humanitarian reasons.
The centers were already under pressure of demand for services by Haitians living in the DR.
Los Mina maternity hospital director Gregorio Rivas said that according to hospital statistics, 35% of women who give birth there are Haitians. He says that they make up 80% of cases with high morbidity and complications. "We're talking about mothers with severe anemia, convulsions and serious infections," he told El Caribe. He said the Haitian patients who suffer many complications use up the hospital's budget. "We have a case of a Haitian mother for whom we had to buy RD$25,000 in blood for a pregnancy-related sickness," he commented. He said that most of the hospital's blood stocks are used up by Haitians, who are usually not able to donate blood because of their medical histories.
The director of the La Altagracia ward, Juan Cid Troncoso says that Haitian women make up 26 of every 100 births. He said that in a hall of 20 beds, as many as 9 or 10 could be occupied by Haitian patients. He said that they have cases of complications where they have to spend RD$250,000-RD$300,000 on a single patient.
He said the government has not budgeted for the increase in demand from Haitian patients at the hospital. "The Haitian occupation of our hospitals is a difficult problem. The country does not budget for that population, but rather for the defined needs of Dominican population. The Haitians limit the budget for our maternity needs and creates problems," he said.
At the Dario Contreras trauma center, 14% of all patients and 3% of all emergency cases are Haitian.
Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez told El Caribe that the investment in care for Haitian patients could surpass RD$1 billion this year.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)
The centers were already under pressure of demand for services by Haitians living in the DR.
Los Mina maternity hospital director Gregorio Rivas said that according to hospital statistics, 35% of women who give birth there are Haitians. He says that they make up 80% of cases with high morbidity and complications. "We're talking about mothers with severe anemia, convulsions and serious infections," he told El Caribe. He said the Haitian patients who suffer many complications use up the hospital's budget. "We have a case of a Haitian mother for whom we had to buy RD$25,000 in blood for a pregnancy-related sickness," he commented. He said that most of the hospital's blood stocks are used up by Haitians, who are usually not able to donate blood because of their medical histories.
The director of the La Altagracia ward, Juan Cid Troncoso says that Haitian women make up 26 of every 100 births. He said that in a hall of 20 beds, as many as 9 or 10 could be occupied by Haitian patients. He said that they have cases of complications where they have to spend RD$250,000-RD$300,000 on a single patient.
He said the government has not budgeted for the increase in demand from Haitian patients at the hospital. "The Haitian occupation of our hospitals is a difficult problem. The country does not budget for that population, but rather for the defined needs of Dominican population. The Haitians limit the budget for our maternity needs and creates problems," he said.
At the Dario Contreras trauma center, 14% of all patients and 3% of all emergency cases are Haitian.
Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez told El Caribe that the investment in care for Haitian patients could surpass RD$1 billion this year.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)