15 billion pesos more allocated to Public Health to fight virus in DR

The Government announced today that it allocated an additional 15 billion pesos to the Public Health budget to combat covid-19, which to date has left 1,481 deaths and some 87,123 infected in the country so that the application will be increased of tests from 3 thousand to 7 thousand daily.

The response plan to the coronavirus’s spread was led by President Luis Abinader and Vice President Raquel Peña and coordinated by the Health Cabinet.

The head of state said that this action must involve the entire country. “We all have to participate, and that is why I ask the president of the Medical College, Waldo Ariel Suero, to accompany us in this great task to combat the pandemic.”

He said that there will also be an education plan and that he will meet next week with all the national leadership. He noted that he has already met with the mayors to accompany the Government in this task.

The president stressed that they coordinated the delivery of family insurance and asked a thousand doctors who were unemployed to accompany this enormous task and forget the political differences for the Dominican Republic’s good.

He assured that the plan includes hiring a thousand doctors, laboratories, medicines, and beds. Also, the health budget was increased to 66 billion pesos. And the curfew will remain in force under the conditions mines.

Abinader said he would continue to strengthen military and police surveillance to ensure compliance with the curfew.

The plan will include councils and social entities to eliminate the shortage of tests and supplies.

It was reported that 200 thousand PCR tests with immediate delivery have already been ordered. With which the Government gave guarantees to carry out 7 thousand daily covid-19 checks.

About a thousand more doctors will be hired to reinforce the attention to covid-19, and the PCR tests will be paid for by SENASA. They ensure that there will be better attention to emergencies and more medicines and beds.

Regarding the vaccine, they maintain that it will be available for the entire population when it is available.

During the ceremony in the Green Room of the National Palace, it was also explained that Public Health would activate the 22 regular programs to attend to the incidence of different diseases and health actions paralyzed or with a deficient level of activities.

At the event, it was also reported that the Government guarantees the purchase of vaccines, when available, through joint purchase mechanisms.

Accompanying the activity were the President and Vice President of the Republic, Doctors Plutarco Arias, Minister of Health, and Vice Ministers Edward Guzmán and Ivelisse Acosta; Mario Lama, director of the National Health Service and Santiago Hazim, director of the National Health Insurance (SENASA), and other officials.

The objective is to speed up the delivery of results and increase the taking of PCR samples per day from some 3,000 that are currently carried out to more than 7,000 and bring this service closer to the entire population, for which seven private laboratories were already enabled that add to the 4 exist that offer this service.

Regional hospitals

According to the Health Cabinet, the PCR tests application will be taken to all the Public Health regions. And it is equipping and enabling ten laboratories, which will soon apply the trials, in the regional hospitals Luis Bogaert, Mao; Morillo King, La Vega; Cabral y Báez, Santiago; Antonio Musa, San Pedro de Macorís; Juan Pablo Pina, San Cristóbal; Taiwan, Azua; Luis E. Aybar, Sanitary City, Santo Domingo; Ricardo Limardo, Puerto Plata; San Vicente de Paúl, San Francisco, and Jaime Mota, Barahona.

They explained that additionally, the management capacity in the Doctor Defilló National Laboratory is strengthened, overcoming the congestion and delay in the taking and processing of PCR tests.

Shortage

They indicate that as part of the actions to ensure the supply of supplies, this Tuesday, Public Health will receive 100,000 PCR tests, and an order for another 100,000 has already been placed.

“We are working to overcome the shortage of medicines, tests, and medical supplies, which we find promise in the Ministry of Public Health and the National Health Service,” according to the document released to the press.

Orders have already been placed to guarantee continuous supply and have a minimum reserve of 3 months; Also, there is a donation of supplies for more than US $ 1.6 million from the Pan American Health Organization; and through the Foreign Ministry, several contributions of supplies and medicines for the treatment of covid-19 arrived.

They assured that the Government would continue to guarantee through SENASA the application of covid-19 tests at no cost to people. Those who do not have Family Health Insurance will be affiliated with the subsidized regime in these cases. Assistance is being strengthened to emergencies and medical emergencies, and the care of suspected or confirmed cases.

More doctors

The Health Cabinet said that the hiring of 1,000 doctors who were unemployed and will receive specialized training to handle COVID-19 patients, under the guidelines of Intensivitas and Internists, was highlighted as an essential step, to increase the response capacity. Likewise, the agreements that are being made with private hospital centers to increase the availability of beds and intensive and intermediate care units for COVID patients.

They estimate that by August 30 only in the public sector, there will be an increase of 20% in the number of beds available in ICU and “depending on the behavior of the infection curve,” says the ministry.

A NOTE

More availability

There will be a 20% increase in beds for intensive care patients and the Government

is promoting the involvement of social and community organizations, city councils, and provincial Health Directorates to intensify the identification of people with the virus and the tracking of your contacts.

Also, to participate in the distribution of hygiene kits that help in the prevention of infections.

THE DATA

Thousand doctors

Those who were waiting for authorization to work will be integrated into the system from Monday to be trained on the protocols to use in patients with covid.

In numbers 200 thousand PCR tests

The government will acquire to detect covid-19. The first 100,000 will arrive in the country next Tuesday. The rest comes later.