With 370 transplants in a year, they boost corneal banks in Santiago and Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo.– Faced with the increase in demand for corneal transplants in the Dominican Republic, health authorities announced the equipping of two donation banks that would operate at the José María Cabral y Báez Regional University Hospital and at the Cardio-Neuro Ophthalmological and Transplant Center (CECANOT). The information was provided by Dr. José Juan Castillos Almonte, director of the National Transplant Coordination Institute (INCORT), who explained that only in 2025, 370 corneal transplants were performed in the country. Of that total, approximately 360 corneas were acquired abroad, at an estimated cost of $2,000 each, which represents a significant economic investment for the system and for the patients.

Equipment in operation

Castillos Almonte indicated that the technical and structural needs for the operation of both banks have already been identified. He recalled that in the past CECANOT had a cornea bank and that it currently requires less equipment thanks to recent contributions. In that sense, he highlighted the contribution of Club 20-30, an entity that made a donation to strengthen the CECANOT’s cornea bank.

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Meanwhile, the center that performs the most transplants in the country is the Centro Cristiano de Servicios Médicos (Los Americanos), located in Los Alcarrizos, along with another private center in the National District.

Call to create a culture of donation

Authorities reiterated that one of the main challenges remains the scarce culture of organ and tissue donation in the Dominican population. The director of INCORT explained that corneas —transparent tissue located at the front of the eye— can be donated after death and allow other people to regain their sight. Finally, he called on the country’s ophthalmologists to support the strengthening of the Cornea Bank and to actively promote citizen education and awareness, with a view to reducing dependence on imported tissue and expanding access to eye transplants in the national territory.