Healthcare For Tourists In The Dominican Republic, Useful Guide

The possible eventualities or accidents that can occur during the vacations have allowed the emergence of tourist medicine, that which attends to the emergencies of patients whose reason for traveling is recreation and rest.

The incidence of these emergencies is very low, close to 2%. Most of the attention is limited to trauma accidents, due to the recreational activities that are frequently carried out in the tourist poles.

On the other hand, there are gastrointestinal disorders, caused by changes in diet, eating habits and intake of quantities, especially in all-inclusive hotels.

It is followed by otitis or chronic otitis, which consists of inflammation of the ear, as well as sunstroke due to prolonged exposure to the sun.

Does your health insurance work in the Dominican Republic?

Nearly 90% of tourists from the main issuing markets, such as North America and Europe, come with travel insurance.

These travel insurances have a network of providers worldwide, including the Dominican Republic, which they favor to take care of patients when a situation of this type occurs.

Generally, the level of care is carried out until the problem the patient has at the time of admission to the centers is corrected, or until the decompensation for an already contracted illness is corrected.

The scope covered by the insurance company is until the problem is resolved or the patient is able to travel to his or her country of origin.

The main health insurance companies in the Dominican Republic

This demand for health services generated in the most important destinations such as Punta Cana and Puerto Plata, La Romana-Bayahibe and Santo Domingo, are supplied by national and international companies.

There are two main consortiums that serve about 90% of the market. These are the Spanish Hospiten and the Dominican Rescue Group.

In addition to their health centers near the hotels, these providers have small primary care units within the large hotels.

Rescue has alliances with highly specialized centers in Santo Domingo and Santiago, for cases that require it.

Insurance prices will depend on the country of origin of the insured. Many nations have public insurance that provides them with broad coverage.

In that sense, travel insurance comes to provide protection in those circumstances in which state insurance no longer has coverage.

Generally, primary insurance can cover up to 80% of the total bill. Then, since in the end it is a very reduced bill for travel insurance, the premiums are very low. For example, the premiums in Finland are only about US$4 per day.

The Rescue Group has health centers in Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and La Romana, as well as emergency clinics in Bayahibe, Samaná and Cabarete.

In the case of large hotels, which exceed 600 rooms, medical offices are installed inside with permanent staff, which can have fixed ambulance service. They are present in 22 of these.

Hospiten

The Hospiten Group is an international private hospital network with more than 1,000 beds and attends more than 1,000,000 patients a year. It has 16 hospital medical centers located in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica.

All these centers are equipped with the latest technological innovations in the field of medicine and management, focused on providing high quality care. It has a presence in Punta Cana.

Rescue

Rescue is a national network of hospital services with more than 30 years in the country, working with international insurance companies to focus on the tourism medicine market.

With a presence in all the most important cities in the country, its centers are concentrated in the key tourist poles to provide specialized medicine and emergency care services.

Its two most important clinics are Centro Médico Punta Cana and Centro Médico Bournigal, located in Puerto Plata.