Santo Domingo.—The public health system faces a strong financial pressure. The director of National Health Service (SNS)Julio Landrón, revealed that the institution operates with a deficit exceeding RD$13 billiona situation that limits the response capacity of the hospital network in the face of growing demand for services.
The information was offered during the Corripio Communications Group Weekly Lunchwhere the official recognized the budget challengealthough he assured that the Government maintains efforts to sustain the healthcare.
“We are sailing with a deficit of more than 13 billion to be able to solve everything we have. But the president Luis Abinader “He has been making the necessary contributions,” he stated.
The SNS has a budget amounting to RD$76,443 million to direct, manage and guarantee the provision of public health services in the country.
Traffic accidents: the great drain on resources
Landrón warned that one of the biggest blows to the health budget comes from attention to traffic accident victimsarea to which at least the 1.8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He explained that caring for a trauma patient with relatively simple injuries—such as long bone fractures—can generate costs between RD$200,000 and RD$250,000. However, in serious cases, such as craniocerebral trauma that require entry into Intensive Care Unit (ICU)the investment per patient can rise between RD$1 million and RD$2 million.
Despite the financial impact, the head of the SNS highlighted that an important part of these patients receives full coverage through the National Health Insurance (Senasa)in his subsidized regime.
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“This vulnerable population goes to health centers and receives a 100 percent coverage”, he stressed.
He recalled that years ago the reality was different and many families had to go into debt to pay for medical emergencies. “Family members had to mortgage their house, pawn their motorcycle or their work machines,” he said.
High road mortality worsens the situation
The weight of accidents becomes more critical if the national context is observed. The World Health Organization (WHO) keeps the Dominican Republic among the countries with the highest death rate from road accidentswith 67.23 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
only in 2025a total of 1,994 people they lost their lives in traffic accidents in the country, figures that continue to put so much pressure on the hospital system like at public finances.
Given this scenario, the SNS insists that the budget strengthening and the prevention of traffic accidents will be decisive to prevent the public health network operate at the limit of your capacity.
