Health Center on the Border Opened

The Ministry of Public Health recently inaugurated a Comprehensive Health Clinic for Adolescents in the Rosa Duarte Hospital of Comendador in the province of Elías Piña with the cooperation of the French Embassy, the President’s Council on AIDS (COPRESIDA) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

…this initiative is part of a comprehensive program being carried out by his ministry as part of the plan to meet the Millennium Objectives for 2015.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Rafael Schiffino, said this initiative is part of a comprehensive program being carried out by his ministry as part of the plan to meet the Millennium Objectives for 2015.

“The goal of the health initiatives being directed by Dr. Bautista Rojas Gómez include reducing the indicators that produce a substandard life style and to improve the quality of life for the people,” said Dr. Schiffino.

The physician said that this Comprehensive Health Clinic for Adolescents began in 1996, under the direction of President Leonel Fernández’s government. The goal was to open 33 health clinics for adolescents around the country.

In a press release sent by the Strategic Communication Office of Public Health, the doctor reported that in the past the health problems and the inefficient care in dealing with them was totally unknown by the health sector.

He added that for this reason, “we believe in this strategic and programmatic plan that can be monitored; it is a comprehensive plan in which we have had the collaboration of international institutions such as the UNFPA and the WHO (World Health Organization).

He said the Unit has two medical offices, a room for individual, couples or group consultations. “The 30 percent of deaths were teenagers and adolescents. I remember that we created provincial health offices to strengthen each province in order to help them be part of the solution to their problem. At this time, there is a ten-year plan that we should defend. We salute this new medical unit and we hope to continue inaugurating more,” said the health professional.

The inauguration was attended by local authorities led by Governor Miguel Mateo, Agronomist and Senator Adriano Sánchez Roa; Congressional Deputy Juan Alberto Piña as well as Cecilia Pozo, French Ambassador; Humberto Salazar, President of COPRESIDA; María Cristina, Hospital Director; Bolívar Matos, Regional Director of Health; Cecilia Michel from the WHO and Gilka Meléndez of the UNFPA, among others.