Medicated Masses - The Business Year

A number of public and private providers are maintaining an increasingly healthy Dominican population through research, production, and distribution of products and services.

Dr. Elena Fernández Núñez

Director, PROMESE/CAL

The strategies, behavior, and results of practice are completely different in the public and private health institutions. There are severe limitations in terms of care in the public sector. Public health surveys reveal that 40% of people use public facilities, while 50% use private, because public healthcare here does not work. These services are intended to be both sufficient and free, and yet we have poor citizens receiving private healthcare. In my radiotherapy department, you will see patients that I have operated on who cannot pay for a hysterectomy for cervical cancer, coming here for radiotherapy because even the lowest insurance policies cover their treatment. This standard of treatment is not available in public institutions. Some specialties, such as cancer treatments, are even attracting people from other Caribbean islands. In addition, cosmetic surgery is emerging as a driver of medical tourism. The privacy we offer is also a major attraction. And meanwhile, we strike deals with international insurance companies that give their clients coverage here.

Amada P. de González

General Director, Amadita Clinical Laboratory

The prices of medications have oscillated by between 25% and 96% over the past nine years, and we organize buying processes according to the regulations outlined in Law 340-06 related to public health. National public tenders are used for 90% of the purchases, which allows for economies of scale and better transparency and participation. It is for this reason that the pharmaceutical industry has increased its participation in these processes since 2004. At PROMESE/CAL, we consider our quality control policies highly relevant. PROMESE/CAL needs to guarantee the availability of those most vital of medicines. This could represent 80% of the budget, while the remaining 20% should go toward managing hospitals to buy emergency products. The Quality Management System allows our General Management to run the institution, while sustaining its operations in a system focused on assuring the continued satisfaction of our citizens and interest groups. In this sense, it stores, distributes, and dispenses medications for 194 public hospitals, 1,264 first-aid units, 466 state pharmacies, and 2.5 million members of the subsidized National Health Insurance Scheme (SeNaSa).

Dr. Luis B. Rojas G.

President, Dr. Luis B. Rojas G.

Amadita is opening new branches of laboratories across the country to respond to market demand and customer need. As a clinical laboratory, we invest heavily in securing the latest technologies, instruments, and methods available in the scientific community. We enjoy a leading position in the Dominican market, having operated for over 50 years with a network of 24 branch offices. Quality defines the level of trust in clinical laboratory results. The stricter the quality controls, the more accurate and clinically useful the results are to support a correct diagnosis and treatment of patients. One of our company’s values is to serve, which is enshrined in our corporate culture. We are firm believers in giving back, and have been privileged to participate in many initiatives to promote health awareness, including fundraising, donation, academic work, internships, and environmental campaigns through the Amadita Foundation. Preventive care is a public health issue that should promote healthy nutrition, regular exercise, and annual check-ups.