Dr. Altagracia Guzmán, Minister of Health;
Mr. Gustavo Montalvo, Minister of the Presidency;
Mr. Ramón Camejo, Minister of Public Administration;
Mr. Pape Gaye, CEO and President of IntraHealth International.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning and thank you for this opportunity to speak with you all today. It is a true pleasure to be in the presence of so many of you who are working on the frontlines to improve the health of the Dominican population.
I’m extremely impressed with the Ministry of Health’s ambitious agenda to reform its approach to strengthening the provision of health services through a highly skilled and dedicated workforce. I’m equally proud to represent the U.S. Government’s support in tackling complicated human resources challenges and helping the Dominican Government to ensure access and availability of quality services to all those in need. I also want to recognize our implementing partner in this effort, IntraHealth, and all of their hard work, thank you Mr. Gaye.
While today marks an important milestone, we have yet to reach our final destination. The U.S. Government remains committed to collaborating with our Dominican counterparts throughout this journey and hopes one day to celebrate jointly when universal health coverage is a reality for all Dominicans. We in the U.S. are all too familiar with the challenges to implementing universal health care, but as President Obama has said, “there are few things more fundamental to the economic security of the middle class and everybody who’s trying to get into the middle class than health care.” I think that is just as true here in the Dominican Republic as it is back home in the United States.
Thank you for your time and your efforts in creating a healthier Dominican Republic. Thank you.
