Puerto Plata | Many Quebec snowbirds who need health care in the Dominican Republic say private clinics and hospitals are of “very good quality” and there are almost zero waits.
From Puerto Plata to Punta Cana, Quebecers have shared with us their experience of having to consult a doctor for treatment of laryngitis, urinary infection, broken foot or hernia.
In all cases, care was obtained in private institutions. Quebec Snowbirds claims to be “very well served” in “clean,” modern and “well organized” clinics.
Pierre Scullion, 76, had to go to the emergency room at Punta Cana Doctors Hospital last year after falling from a catamaran and breaking his leg.
- Listen to an interview with Elisa Cloutier, journalist at Journal de Québec and one of the QMI scholarship recipients on Alexandre Dubey's show QUB Radio :
“It's not stupid”
The former security guard from Lanadier attended the emergency room of the Punta Cana Doctors Private Hospital on Sunday evening, around 10 p.m. He was shown to the doctor in less than five minutes. “I got X-rays right away, then an IV for the pain. It didn't really go wrong,” said the septuagenarian, who is spending his fifth winter in Punta Cana.
“Compared to home, it's night and day. It doesn't make sense because we have good service, which is reassuring,” he continues.
Pierre Scullion and Marie-Josie Lavoie, who are based in the Dominican Republic for the winter, are very satisfied with the services they receive in the health sector in Punta Cana. They claim that there is no need to wait more than five minutes before seeing a doctor in a private hospital.
Elisa Cloutier
Seeing that the health system was “fantastic”, his partner, Marie-Josie Lavoie, decided to get dental care in the Republic by redoing some of her fillings. “Everything went very well. I also had a minor surgery,” she explains.
Maurice Richard, 68, who says he was “saved” by Dominican healing, has a similar opinion.
Otitis and back pain
Suffering from significant back problems, Mr Richard had to seek medical advice last year because he could no longer walk. “I consulted several specialists in Quebec and nothing worked. Here, I was treated and I saw great improvement,” said the retiree from Terrebonne.
He also said that he was very satisfied during a consultation for an acute ear infection. “I believe in medicine here and I am satisfied,” he said.
The sixty-year-old chose to undergo an operation to treat a hernia in Punta Cana this winter.
Hospital in Puerto Plata
In Puerto Plata, News magazine Bruegel was able to visit the Medical Center, a hospital that sees about forty Canadian snowbirds every month, combining different specialties. Among other things, there is another unit for cardiology, gastroenterology, paediatrics, gynaecology, surgery, intensive care, general medicine and pulmonary diseases.
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Brugal Medical Center, located in Puerto Plata, receives dozens of Canadian tourists each month.
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There are several specialties including cardiology, gynecology and gastroenterology unit along with a unit treating respiratory diseases, general medicine and intensive care.
Elisa Cloutier -
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Here we see the trauma exam room at the Bruegal Hospital in Puerto Plata.
Elisa Cloutier -
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When Le Journal visited Bruegel Hospital, the premises were clean and well maintained.
Elisa Cloutier -
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Brugal Medical Center, located in Puerto Plata, receives dozens of Canadian tourists every month.
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There are several specialties including cardiology, gynecology and gastroenterology unit along with a unit treating respiratory diseases, general medicine and intensive care.
Elisa Cloutier -
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Here we see the trauma exam room at the Bruegal Hospital in Puerto Plata.
Elisa Cloutier -
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When Le Journal visited Bruegel Hospital, the premises were clean and well maintained.
Elisa Cloutier -
On site, the owner, Dd Mejia Lopez said there is no need to wait for foreigners.
“We know they're here on vacation, sometimes on a cruise, and they don't have much time.”
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Photo by ELISA CLOUTIER
A former professional gynecologist attests that Canadian tourists are quickly admitted to the emergency room.
At the time of our visit, about twenty people were waiting in the emergency room, which had a good number of beds, but no overflow was evident. The premises are clean and well maintained.
Snowbirds are safe in the Dominican Republic
Quebec snowbirds say they are happy to be able to hike in the Dominican Republic both during the day and in the evening, with “complete freedom.”
All Quebec tourists met in the Dominican Republic said they felt safe wherever they went on the Caribbean island.
Whether shopping in downtown Puerto Plata, or walking for an end-of-day drink in Punta Cana, or dining with friends at a cabaret or Las Terrenas Beach, snowbirds are bound to be encountered. News magazine It was unanimously concluded that the sense of safety makes this destination “more attractive than other areas”.
“Tourists are very protected in the Dominican Republic […] I feel safer in Canada and the Dominican Republic than in the United States”
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Photo by ELISA CLOUTIER
Same story in Las Terrenas. “I feel very safe even walking alone in the village. Wherever I go, it's really safe and we feel comfortable,” adds Narina Shabazian, an Eastman resident of Eastman, who has already visited the Samana Peninsula three times since the beginning of the year.
Security investments
Recently, Dominican Tourism Minister David Collado announced a $3M investment to make the destination “more secure.”
In the coming months, work will be done to add surveillance cameras, lighting and Wi-Fi terminals, among other things, to public beaches.
Mr. Collado confirmed that the tourist police, who patrol public beaches and tourist areas, would also benefit from more staff, having hired nearly 100 new police officers last summer.
“The idea is to provide the police [touristique] Technological tools and other tools to improve the performance of more vehicles, motorcycles etc.”
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PHOTO MARIO BEAUREGARD/AGENCY QMI
With these adjustments, Mr. Collado hopes to eventually lower the risk level in the recommendations issued by the Canadian government. Currently, Ottawa is urging Canadians to “exercise extreme caution” when traveling to the Dominican Republic. This is the first warning level issued by the Government of Canada.
- This report was produced thanks to an international reporting grant from the QMI Agency
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