The Ministry of Health announced on Monday that on July 15, the pilot plan for the First National Census of Human Resources in Health will begin in the province of San Cristóbal, an initiative that seeks to gather information on health personnel, analyze the distribution and determine the existing gaps in the different areas of competence, levels of care and sectors in the country.
The project is supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the National Statistics Office (ONE), and the hiring of expert consultants in the field, to guarantee the accuracy and reliability of the data collected.
The process will seek to capture data on personnel, ranging from doctors and nurses to those in technical positions, specifying general data on their training and location.
For these purposes, the Ministry of Health issued Resolution No. 0010-2024, which provides for the census, which includes national and foreign professionals, whether active or inactive in the national territory, whose training and/or work activity is linked to the health sciences.
The Minister of Health, Víctor Atallah, emphasized that the census will make it possible to know, analyze and make projections on the statistical data obtained, something very essential for everyone, which will make it possible to improve health in the country.
“This will allow us to identify the number of health professionals, needs at the national level, develop policies and programs to improve their distribution, and through the survey, achieve a form of permanent contact with everyone, to standardize and protocolize health services in the country,” he said.
In this context, he said that the launching of the pilot plan is fundamental towards the construction of a stronger healthcare system to identify gaps for the sake of improvement. He called on the entire healthcare community to join the project in order to build a more dignified healthcare system that ensures that every Dominican has access to high quality healthcare.
The project will be carried out through the Directorate for the Development of Human Resources in Health (DDRHS) of the Vice-Ministry of Strengthening and Development of the Health Sector, headed by Vice-Minister Miguel Rodríguez Viñas, who explained that the project stems from the need to have accurate information and robust tools for strategic decision-making based on the real needs of the population, being a great responsibility of the MSP to manage it.
“We face a significant lack of detailed information and advanced methodologies to monitor and evaluate human resources in health. Moreover, the existing information is fragmented and limited mainly to the public sector, which prevents a complete and accurate view of the health landscape in the country.”
“This insufficiency of data is a critical obstacle to effective decision-making and public policy-making.”
At the event, held in the Deydamia Miniño hall of the Ministry of Health, words of motivation and collaboration in what will be the First National Census of Human Resources in Health were offered by Xavier Hernández Ferre, UNDP representative in the Dominican Republic, and Carlos Hernández, in charge of the Department of Demographic and Social Statistics of the ONE.
Pilot will begin in San Cristóbal
The director of Human Resources in Health of the MSP explained that the province of San Cristóbal was selected as the site for the pilot plan because it offers the opportunity to analyze situations that can be replicated at the national level given its size and complexity.
To date, 271 establishments in the province have been identified and will be visited from July 15 to 19.
The results of this pilot will allow to have a look at what is expected when launching the project throughout the national territory and to make the necessary adjustments to guarantee its success and to obtain information that meets the desired quality standards.
During the ceremony, the inputs to be used in the survey were handed over to the provincial director of Health of San Cristóbal, Darío Méndez.
The results of the census will provide a solid basis for strategic planning, resource allocation and the formulation of public policies aimed at improving the quality, accessibility and efficiency of health services in the country. In addition, it will make it possible to feed national and international statistical systems with reliable and updated information.
Source:Presidencia.gob.do
