Santo Domingo.– The General Directorate of Information and Defense of Social Security Affiliates (DIDA) warned this Sunday that private clinics cannot suspend health services to members of Health Risk Administrators (ARS), reminding that medical care is a right protected by Dominican legislation.
The entity’s statement comes after the National Association of Private Clinics (ANDECLIP) announced that it will evaluate the possibility of temporarily suspending services to members of the main ARS as a pressure tactic to demand an increase in the rates they receive for medical care.
The director of DIDA, Elías Báez, pointed out that the provision of health services does not constitute a discretionary power of medical centers, but rather an obligation established in Law 87-01 on Social Security and in the General Health Law 42-01, which guarantee timely, continuous, and quality access to health services for all affiliates.
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Likewise, he called on clinics and other actors in the Dominican Social Security System to seek solutions through dialogue, avoiding having economic differences affect patients.
The institution also recognized the right of healthcare providers to file their claims, but insisted that these actions must not result in the interruption of medical care for the population.
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The DIDA reported that it will maintain permanent monitoring of the provision of health services and will reinforce its guidance and assistance mechanisms to address any complaint or claim from affiliates who consider their rights to have been violated.
ANDECLIP plans to meet on July 8 to decide whether to execute the suspension of services, define the ARS that would be affected, and establish the scope of the measure, amidst a conflict over the update of the rates that insurers pay to private clinics.
