Dominican Emergency Society Says Police Transfers Overcrowd ERs

The Sociedad Dominicana de Emergenciología (Sodoem) reported that police operations in the Dominican Republic are moving groups of five to fifteen detainees at a time to hospitals for medical certificates. The practice is congesting emergency rooms, delaying treatment for patients with critical conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.

Sodoem warned that police sometimes pressure doctors to issue certificates quickly, even requesting that care for seriously ill patients be interrupted. The organization emphasized that a medical assessment requires a full clinical history and examination, and rushed evaluations risk patient safety and expose physicians to legal and ethical liability.