Does the Dominican Republic have good healthcare? The island nation is well-known for its vibrant culture and sunny beaches, but it’s also developing an effective medical system that can be a better alternative to the U.S. healthcare system at times.
As someone who’s spent years conversing with healthcare professionals across the Americas, I’ve noticed some consistent themes. Some have told me about their amazing Cuban teachers who were nutrition wizards. Others described systems where hospitals might appear unhygienic, but doctors demonstrated excellent wound-healing skills and focused on providing the best care possible based on the limited resources they had access to.
Our conversations echoed a concept I read about in the book Unaccountable by a U.S. physician, which included studies reviewing rural hospitals in the U.S. It found that rural hospitals could deliver equal or better surgical outcomes for common procedures by being more resourceful. This resourcefulness is born out of necessity and is the foundational strength of the Dominican Republic’s healthcare system.
The quality of healthcare available in the Dominican Republic (DR) is a story of two parallel systems. Private hospitals in major cities like Santo Domingo and Santiago utilize modern equipment, employ highly qualified staff, and adhere to international standards. These facilities primarily cater to tourists, expatriates, and affluent locals, offering shorter wait times, multilingual staff, and complex procedures like organ transplants.
The other half of the equation is the Dominican Republic’s public healthcare system. It offers free or low-cost procedures, but resources are severely limited. This often manifests in the form of outdated equipment, overcrowding, and less experienced doctors. It isn’t uncommon for patients in the DR to be asked to bring their own basic supplies, like bed sheets, food, and toilet paper, when hospitalized.
The stark contrast between the two parallel healthcare systems in the Dominican Republic means the answer to the question “Does the Dominican Republic have good healthcare?” is that it depends heavily on your economic means.
Many doctors in the Dominican Republic are trained locally at reputable institutions, while some go abroad for their medical education. The region has been influenced by the renowned Cuban medical model, which emphasizes preventative care, community-based learning, and overcoming low-resource settings with exceptional skills.
Cuban-trained doctors are masters of improvisation, as they’re trained to heal without relying on cutting-edge medical technology. The mindset leads to practical, patient-centered care that has filtered into the broader medical culture of Caribbean countries such as the Dominican Republic. It is important to note that Cuba's practice of sending doctors to other Latin American countries has long provided the Cuban government with a source of revenue but been criticized heavily and even termed human trafficking and "forced labor" of medical professionals. Guatemala recently announced that they would begin phasing out of the 30-year program in which they have utilized Cuban doctors to aid in shortages.
Doctors who can suture a wound with minimal supplies or creatively manage chronic conditions based on what their patients have access to are the embodiment of what it means to be a “good doctor.”
Sometimes, “good” healthcare requires more than shiny, new machines. My Cuban friend’s anecdote about physicians prioritizing wound healing to get patients out of resource-strapped hospitals quickly is a prime example of good healthcare despite limited access to resources.
It’s a sharp contrast from the U.S. medical system, where getting patients out of hospitals as quickly as possible sometimes overshadows providing meticulous care. I’ve heard stories of doctors in Latin countries sitting down with patients to ask questions like, "What medications can you actually find on the local market? What do you have at home?"
This relational, pragmatic approach helps build a treatment plan that’s aligned with the patient's reality. This skill is arguably as important as doctors having textbook knowledge.
You need an insider’s perspective to understand the challenges, triumphs, and ingenuity of the Dominican Republic’s healthcare system.
We’re currently in conversations with Dominican healthcare providers to share their firsthand accounts of what it’s really like to provide care in the DR, the clever workarounds they use to navigate their low-resource setting, and the impact of relational care.
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