The Dominican Republic is seeking to consolidate its position as a leading destination in health and wellness tourism, an industry with great potential for economic and social growth, according to a panel organized by the Tourism Committee of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic(CAMARCOESD).

The meeting, entitled “Health and Wellness Tourism: New Opportunities for DR Tourism,” brought together key figures from the public and private sectors, including Victor Atallah Lajam, minister of Public Health and Social Assistance; Brenda Morales Mejia, director of Confotur; Alejandro Cambiaso, president of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism(ADTS); and Amelia Reyes Mora, vice president of ADTS, who moderated the panel.

The panel discussed how the integration of hospitals, private clinics, resorts with medical services, spas, digital health, and aesthetic medicine can turn the Dominican Republic into a regional and global benchmark in this industry.

The speakers agreed that the country has several competitive advantages, including its strategic location, excellent air connectivity, well-developed tourism infrastructure, and highly trained healthcare professionals. However, they also stressed the importance of working on international standards, patient safety, technological innovation, and clear regulatory frameworks to guarantee the sustainability of the sector.

The activity concluded with a call to strengthen public-private cooperation, boost investment in medical and tourism infrastructure, and project the country as an integral health and wellness destination.

The event was attended by diplomatic representatives, business people, and investors from the tourism, health, and finance sectors, who see this industry as a strategic opportunity to diversify the Dominican economy.

It’s taking more than a decade to settle some personal injury claims in Barbados – and no single sector is shouldering the blame.

President of the Barbados Bar Association (BBA) Kaye Williams says the legal, medical and insurance systems are all contributing to the prolonged wait for justice, with some cases dragging on for over ten years.

“We are finding that personal injury matters are taking well over five years, I’d say even ten-plus years; that should not be happening,” she said. “We are waiting on too many things in order for the claimant’s matter to proceed.”

Williams was speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop titled From Interview to Judgment: Winning Strategies in Personal Injury and Civil Practice, at Sandals Royal, where she stressed the financial and emotional toll of the delays.

“Potentially hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, are being tied up in the system because, for the insurance side, as well as for the legal side, claims are not being processed in a timely fashion,” she said.

One major bottleneck, she noted, is the time it takes for medical reports to be produced, a concern echoed by both the BBA and the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB), who have been meeting with the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) to address the issue.

“We understand and appreciate that doctors are professionals who are burdened with a heavy schedule, but a client should not have to wait for years for a medical report,” Williams said.

GIAB President Andrea Walton agreed that collaboration is key to breaking the gridlock.

“We normally would work in isolation,” she said. “What we have found is that we now have to collaborate a bit more… to ensure that the medical reports that insurance companies receive are adequate for us making decisions to assist with settling personal injury claims.” (JB)

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Guyana on Monday kickstarted its annual influenza vaccination programme, targeting vulnerable sections of the society including healthcare workers. Speaking at the launch of the trivalent vaccine, which protects against three major strains of the flu virus – H1N1, H3N2 and Victoria B – Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony sought to assure Guyanese that the ...

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Santo Domingo.- The Union of Pharmacies, Inc., representing over 1,650 pharmacies nationwide, has reported irregularities in medication dispensing linked to the National Health Insurance (SeNaSa). The organization emphasized its commitment to legality, transparency, and ethical business practices, noting that longstanding violations harm service quality and public access to medications.

A major concern is the restriction of legally authorized pharmacies from participating in SeNaSa’s provider network, which the union views as a breach of Social Security Law 87-01 and Sisalril regulations. Additionally, private intermediaries have allegedly charged improper fees for integrating healthcare providers, negatively affecting service quality and low-income patients.

The union stressed that none of its members engaged in these practices and reaffirmed its willingness to fully cooperate with ongoing investigations to clarify the situation.

Barbados stands at the cusp of making history. With smoking rates at just 6.4% of adults, the nation has achieved the lowest smoking prevalence in the Caribbean region. Yet despite this success, thousands of Barbadian lives remain at risk, and the path to becoming truly smoke-free lies within the nation’s grasp.

Recent analysis from international health experts at “Smoke Free Sweden” reveals a stark reality: more than 14 million lives can be saved globally by 2060 if governments act decisively to integrate tobacco harm reduction into traditional control methods. For Barbados, this represents an unprecedented opportunity to become the Caribbean’s first smoke-free nation by embracing less harmful nicotine alternatives like vapes and oral nicotine pouches.

The evidence supporting harm reduction is compelling. In the United Kingdom, smoking rates fell by 41% as vaping became a popular alternative. Japan saw cigarette sales plummet by more than 40% following the introduction of heated tobacco products. Most remarkably, Sweden has become the world’s first officially smoke-free nation, with just 4.5% of Swedish-born adults smoking, achieving smoking-related death rates that are the lowest in the European Union.

Dr Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden and former secretary general of the World Medical Association, puts it plainly: “Policymakers face a clear choice: lead a public health revolution or fail their citizens.” The strategies to make smoking obsolete by making less harmful alternatives accessible, affordable and acceptable are proven.

For Barbados, the numbers are encouraging. With 11% of men still smoking, targeted harm reduction policies could drive these numbers below the 5% threshold that defines a smoke-free society. The gender gap in the smoking rates, where only 1.7% of women smoke compared to 11.7% of men, suggests that tailored approaches focusing on male smokers could yield dramatic results.

However, Barbados faces a critical challenge at the upcoming 11th Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Geneva this November. The WHO has consistently promoted prohibitionist approaches that deny smokers access to products that are 95% less harmful than cigarettes. This ideological stance effectively protects the cigarette trade by limiting access to less harmful alternatives.

The WHO’s preliminary agenda for COP11 reveals a troubling bias, referring to harm reduction as merely the “tobacco industry’s narrative” and framing the entire discussion defensively rather than engaging with the mounting scientific evidence. This approach ignores the fundamental truth that people smoke for the nicotine but die from the tar in cigarettes.

Barbados must join other forward-thinking nations in pushing back against this outdated approach. At COP10, several countries, including New Zealand, the Philippines, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, made constructive, evidence-based comments supporting harm reduction. Saint Kitts and Nevis even proposed establishing a Working Group dedicated to tobacco harm reduction, though this proposal has been conspicuously absent from the COP11 agenda.

A look at Barbados’ neighbours in Trinidad and Tobago shows that they face an even starker reality, with nearly 30% of men smoking. Regional cooperation on harm reduction policies could save thousands of lives across the Caribbean while establishing the region as a global leader in pragmatic public health approaches.

The upcoming COP11 conference presents Barbados with a platform to champion science over ideology. The national delegation must advocate for transparent, evidence-based tobacco control measures that include harm reduction strategies. By doing so, Barbados can lead not just the Caribbean but serve as a model for smaller nations worldwide.

The evidence is clear, the tools are available, and the potential for saving lives is immense. Barbados must act decisively at COP11 to ensure that public health, not prohibitionist ideology, guides global tobacco control policy. The citizens deserve nothing less than the most effective, science-based approaches to ending smoking once and for all.

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Santo Domingo.- FARMACARD defended its management of contracts with the National Health Insurance (SENASA), affirming that all agreements have been executed in strict compliance with the law while ensuring service quality. The company highlighted that between 2012 and 2020 it helped SENASA cut drug spending by nearly 40%, and under its new contract signed in February 2025, it achieved RD$129 million in savings within five months, equal to RD$25 million monthly, without affecting coverage for members.

The firm also reported uncovering irregularities, noting that 68% of prescriptions under the contributory regime came from the public system—three times higher than the usual average—suggesting possible fraud. To correct inefficiencies, FARMACARD implemented tighter controls, such as suspending unauthorized deliveries and introducing security tokens for medication purchases. These measures, it said, restored transparency and continuity in the distribution of medicines to more than 3.6 million members of the contributory plan, and 4.3 million when private insurers are included.

Founded in 2002 and with more than 1,500 partner pharmacies, FARMACARD emphasized that the capitated contract model it assumed in 2025 transfers full financial risk to the company, helping SENASA control costs, improve efficiency, and stabilize its budget. The company concluded by reaffirming its commitment to transparency, sustainability of the health system, and timely access to medicines for all affiliates.

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Santo Domingo — A specialist warns of the current prevalence of cases of allergic rhinitis, upper respiratory tract infections, and hearing problems in patients due to nasal congestion, attributed to the high incidence of Sahara dust.

These are the most common nasal and sinus conditions currently seen in otolaryngology (ENT) clinics, according to Dr. César Moquete of Hospiten Santo Domingo.

Therefore, it recommends routine and timely evaluation of patients who present any of the related symptoms, such as recurrent facial pain, persistent nasal obstruction, constant mucus discharge, and recurrent respiratory infections.

He explained that there is a close relationship between the environment (noise, dust, and polluted air) and diseases linked to otorhinolaryngology, “which is currently complicated by the incidence of Saharan dust on our island, with many patients presenting with nasal allergies, such as sneezing, hyaline mucus, and nasal congestion, who come to the clinic with these symptoms exacerbated.”

Regarding noise, the doctor indicated that it is the main cause of hearing loss and the presence of tinnitus, which is the constant exposure to noise, which, together with the presence of pollutants in the environment and changes in temperature, favors the increase in cases, causing inflammation of the nasal mucosa.

The healthcare professional warned that patients make the mistake of self-medicating with decongestants, such as oxymetazoline, for long periods, “which will cause drug-induced rhinitis, worsening symptoms due to not actively using the medication.”

He indicated that poorly controlled allergic rhinitis and sinusitis are conditions that coexist and have common symptoms, such as sneezing, a runny nose, and nasal congestion.

However, he said that complications arising from chronic sinusitis can include orbital infection and meningitis. , bone infection ( osteomyelitis ), facial skin infections, soft tissue abscesses, and intracranial abscesses.

They differ, he pointed out, in that allergic rhinitis is triggered by allergic processes, whereas chronic sinusitis is a bacterial infectious process that occurs four times a year.

“Treatment for allergic rhinitis is directed toward anti-allergy medications and nasal and systemic corticosteroids, unlike chronic sinusitis, for which we use antibiotics, along with these medications, to control the infection,” said Dr. Moquete.

The specialist explained that otorhinolaryngology (ENT) is a medical-surgical specialty that studies diseases of the ear, hearing, and upper respiratory tract, as well as parts of the lower respiratory tract, including the nose, paranasal sinuses, pharynx, and larynx.

He also performs thyroid gland surgeries, trauma, oncology, plastic, aesthetic, and reconstructive surgeries of the face and neck.