- (Statistical) Number of Inhabitants per Doctor: 934
- CIA - World Factbook : Dominican Republic
Organisations and Networks
UN and Multinational
Government
Non-Government
- Consultorio de Pediatria - provided by Dr Nelson Duarte, Departamento de Pediatría, Hospital Dr. Pascasio Toribio Piantini, Salcedo, República Dominicana
Academic Institutions
- Iberoamerican University, School of Medicine
- Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra,
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud / Dept. of Health Sciences
- Medical Mission Exchange
Medical Mission Exchange aims to facilitate referrals of underserved patients to appropriate medical specialists in Central America and the Caribbean. MMEX provides a free, online database of short- and long-term medical missions serving Belize, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras. The information provided includes when and where these groups are working and what medical specialties are represented. Long-term missionaries, health care workers, NGOs, and short-term medical health care providers will be able to determine when and where people with various health problems can be medically evaluated and treated, both at long-term facilities and short-term missions. Patients can be offered a specified date and place to see a specialist. The goal of the MMEX website is to enable referrals to be made to short-term mission groups prior to their arrival, thereby better utilising the physicians and other health care providers who are volunteering their services
National Policy and Related Documents
Reports, Guidelines, and Projects
Averting maternal death and disability: Human rights, constructive accountability and maternal mortality in the Dominican Republic: a commentary"Amid grim accounts of conditions in public sector facilities, the report describes a process that gives reason for hope: here we see the early stages of a process that, whether explicitly and consciously or not, uses many of the techniques of a rights-based approach to reducing maternal mortality. At the heart of rights-based approaches lies a notion of accountability. All too often, accountability is used to mean simply blame and punishment. Here I use the phrase ‘constructive accountability’ to make clear that a rights-based approach to maternal mortality reduction is not primarily about enacting a system to find fault and pronounce punishment; rather it is about developing a dynamic of entitlement and obligation between people and their government and within the complex system of relationships that form the wider health system, public and private. It is about building health systems that function for the benefit of people." [International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 82 (2003) 111–114]
Early termination of breast-feeding in periurban Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: mothers’ community perceptions and personal practicesObjectives: The objectives of this study were to determine: 1) whether mothers’ perceptions of typical community practice for breast-feeding duration influence their personal practices and 2) whether the mothers’ reports of community reasons for terminating breast-feeding identify barriers not elicited through self-report. Methods: The study was conducted in 1997 in a sample of poor neighborhoods in a periurban district of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. A representative sample of 220 mothers from these neighborhoods was interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Results: While the duration of breast-feeding was similar for self-report and for mothers’ perceptions of typical community practice, there was no statistically significant correlation between these two variables. 'Mother-driven' reasons for early termination of breast-feeding, such as 'fear of loss of figure or of breast shape' and 'not wanting to breast-feed,' were frequently perceived as community reasons but rarely given as personal reasons. Personal reasons were predominately 'child-driven,' including 'the child not wanting the breast,' or reasons beyond the mother’s control such as having 'insufficient' milk. Conclusions: Maternal report of community reasons for early termination may be a useful way to identify factors that would not otherwise be revealed on self-report. These additional reasons may guide health promotion efforts aimed at increasing breast-feeding duration. [author abstract] [Rev Panam Salud Publica/Pan Am J Public Health 9(6): 362-367, 2001]
Health in the Americas 2007: Dominican RepublicAs a health agency, the Pan American Health Organization’s core discipline is epidemiology, which enables the measurement, definition, and comparison of health problems and conditions and their distribution from the perspectives of population, geography, and time. This publication on the Dominican Republic addresses the issue of health as a human right, taking into account both the individual and community contexts, and examines various critical determinants of health, including those of a biological, social, cultural, economic, and political nature. That examination reveals the existence of gaps, disparities, and inequities that persist in the Dominican Republic, especially those related to access to basic services, health, nutrition, housing, and adequate living conditions as well as to the lack of opportunities for human development—all of which contribute to the greater vulnerability to diseases and health risks of some population groups. [Adapted from the preface of
Health in the Americas 2007]
Migratory Routes from Haiti to the Dominican Republic: Implications for the Epidemic and the Human Rights of People Living with HIV/AIDSThe presented study analyzes the possibility of a relationship between the migratory flow from Haiti toward the Dominican Republic and the spread of HIV/AIDS, as well as implications for the human rights of immigrants living with the infection. Its purpose is to identify possible areas of intervention and research in order to increase the participation of this population and its organizations in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention efforts. The current study was carried out in three main phases: 1) review of existing documentation on the relationship between Haitian immigration, HIV/AIDS, and the human rights of infected people; 2) semi-structured interviews with key informants, authorities, and experts in the areas of concern; and, 3) eight case studies of Haitian immigrants living with HIV/AIDS in agricultural bateyes in the Dominican Republic. Results evidence the stigmatizing scenarios that immigrants living with HIV/AIDS face. [publication abstract] [Revista Interamericana de Psicología/Interamerican Journal of Psychology - 2007, Vol. 41, Num. 1, pp. 7-16]
Policy Empowers: Condom Use among Sex Workers in the Dominican Republic"HIV prevention has long been approached at the level of individual behaviors, operating to some extent under the assumption that behavior is determined by a person’s conscious decisions. However, a paradigm shift toward considering the physical and social environments in which individual HIV risk behavior takes place is gradually gaining momentum. These structural factors — whether political, economic or cultural — may directly or indirectly affect an individual’s ability to avoid exposure to HIV.1 The Dominican Republic offers an example of this progression from successful individual HIV behavioural interventions among sex workers, toward broader community approaches and policy initiatives." [Population Action International Research Commentary, vol. 2, iss. 1, January 2007]
Report card: HIV prevention for girls and young women: Dominican Republic"This report card aims to provide a summary of HIV prevention for girls and young women in Dominican Republic. [It] is one in a series produced by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), under the umbrella of the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, and with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Young Positives. The Report Card is an advocacy tool. It aims to increase and improve the programmatic, policy and funding actions taken on HIV prevention for girls and young women in Dominican Republic. Its key audiences are national, regional and international policy and decision-makers, and service providers. It builds on global policy commitments, particularly those outlined in the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS from the 2 June 2006 High-Level Meeting, to follow up on the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS (UNGASS). The Report Card summarizes the current situation of HIV prevention strategies and services for girls and young women ages 15–24 years in Dominican Republic. It contains an analysis of five key components that influence HIV prevention, namely: 1. Legal provision; 2. Policy provision; 3. Availability of services; 4. Accessibility of services; [and] 5. Participation and rights. It also provides recommendations for key stakeholders to enhance action on HIV prevention strategies and services for girls and young women in Dominican Republic. The Report Card is the basis of extensive research carried out during 2007 by IPPF, involving both desk research on published data and reports, and in-country research in Dominican Republic to provide more qualitative information.” [United Nations Population Fund, c2007]
Strategic Assessment of Reproductive Health in the Dominican Republic"This report documents the findings of a strategic assessment of reproductive health in the Dominican Republic (DR), carried out by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (SESPAS) and the Dominican Social Security Institute (IDSS) with technical and financial support from the Population Council’s Expanding Contraceptive Choice program and its Latin American and Caribbean regional offices, and the United States Agency for International Development. The USAID/DR has been working closely with SESPAS to understand the major reproductive health problems in the DR. In order to better assist SESPAS and to plan the country’s Reproductive Health Strategy for 2002–2007, USAID asked the Population Council’s ECC program to conduct a strategic assessment of reproductive health in the Dominican Republic. This participatory study was designed to identify strengths, prioritize problems, and work with community, governmental, and nongovernmental stakeholders in order to develop recommendations for strategic interventions to improve reproductive health in the DR." [Population Council, 2002]
The epidemiology of dependency among urban-dwelling older people in the Dominican Republic; a cross-sectional surveyBackground: Demographic ageing and the health transition will soon lead to large increases in the number of dependent older people in low and middle income countries. Despite its importance, this topic has not previously been studied. Methods: A cross sectional catchment area one-phase survey of health conditions, dependency, care arrangements and caregiver strain among 2011 people aged 65 years and over in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Results: 7.1% of participants required much care and a further 4.7% required at least some care. The prevalence of dependency increased sharply with increasing age. Dependent older people were less likely than others to have a pension and much less likely to have paid work, but no more likely to benefit from financial support from their family. Needing much care was strongly associated with comorbidity between cognitive, psychological and physical health problems. However, dementia made the strongest independent contribution. Among those needing care, those with dementia stood out as being more disabled, as needing more care (particularly support with core activities of daily living), and as being more likely to have paid caregivers. Dementia caregivers experienced more strain than caregivers of those with other health conditions, an effect mediated by behavioural and psychological symptoms. Conclusion: Dependency among older people is nearly as prevalent in Dominican Republic as in developed western settings. Non-communicable diseases, particularly dementia are the main contributing factors. Attention needs to be directed towards the development of age-appropriate healthcare, a long-term care policy, and mechanisms for ensuring the social protection of older persons. [author abstract] [BMC Public Health 2008, 8: 285]
The prevalence and social patterning of chronic diseases among older people in a population undergoing health transition. A 10/66 Group cross-sectional population-based survey in the Dominican RepublicBackground: Very little of the increased attention towards chronic diseases in countries with low and middle incomes has been directed towards older people, who contribute 72% of all deaths, and 14% of all Disability Adjusted Life Years linked to this group of conditions in those regions. We aimed to study the prevalence of physical, mental and cognitive diseases and impairments among older people in the Dominican Republic, their social patterning, and their relative contributions to disability. Methods: A cross-sectional catchment area one-phase survey of chronic disease diagnoses, physical impairments, risk factors and associated disability among 2011 people aged 65 years and over (of whom 1451 gave fasting blood samples) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Results: The most prevalent diagnoses were hypertension (73.0%), anaemia (35.0%), diabetes (17.5%), depression (13.8%) and dementia (11.7%), with 39.6% meeting criteria for metabolic syndrome. After direct standardization (for age and sex) the prevalences of stroke (standardized morbidity ratio [SMR] 100) and hypertension (SMR 108) were similar to those in the United States of America National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES reference SMR 100), while those of diabetes (SMR 83) and metabolic syndrome (SMR 72) were somewhat lower. Anaemia was three times more common than in the USA (SMR 310). Diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obesity and the metabolic syndrome were associated with affluence and female sex. Arthritis, anaemia, dementia and stroke were strongly age-associated and these conditions were also the main independent contributors to disability. Conclusions: The prevalence of many chronic diseases is similar in predominately low socioeconomic status neighbourhoods in the Dominican Republic to that in the USA. Prevalence of age-associated conditions is likely to increase with demographic ageing. There is also scope for increases in cardiovascular disease prevalence, if, as observed in other settings undergoing the epidemiologic transition, the burden of risk factors shifts towards the less affluent. Monitoring future trends in the prevalence and social patterning of chronic diseases may help to assess the effectiveness and equity of primary and secondary prevention strategies. Specific recommendations from our research include identifying and targeting the causes of anaemia among older people, and addressing women's health disadvantages. [author abstract] [BMC Public Health 2010, 10: 344]
Understanding successful condom use in the Dominican Republic"This study took a fresh approach to understanding the factors and conditions that influence condom use in the Dominican Republic. Rather than focusing on the barriers that impede successful condom use, as past studies have, we instead explored the behavior of individuals who are successful at using male condoms and the factors that facilitate their use. Specifically, we explored successful users beliefs about condoms and condom use, the factors that led successful condom users to initially adopt and to continue using condoms, and finally, the conditions that influence successful condom users ability to use condoms consistently and correctly." [Population Council, Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, c2002]
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