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Dominican Republic healthcare: service expansion and fraud

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2026-09-24 04:45 UTC → 2026-09-24 13:25 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The Dominican Republic’s healthcare system continues to face a dichotomy between reported financial stability and critical service shortages. While the National Health Service (SNS) reports significant administrative expansion, the sector is facing intense legal scrutiny regarding corruption. The Public Ministry has escalated its ‘Senasa 2.0’ investigation into a massive fraud scheme targeting the National Health Insurance (Senasa). This operation, which stems from the initial ‘Operación Cobra’, has expanded into ‘Operación Cobra 2.0-A’. The crackdown involved 37 simultaneous raids on medical centers, laboratories, and clinics across provinces including Santo Domingo, Santiago, Cotuí, and La Vega. Authorities have seized cash, vehicles, weapons, and luxury items as part of the ongoing probe. New details from the investigation reveal that the criminal network utilized a money laundering system known as ‘pagos de san’, or personal loans, to disguise illicit proceeds. Doctors involved in the scheme were reportedly required to return between 40% and 60% of the funds disbursed for services that were never provided. Some defendants used suspicious bank transfer descriptions, such as ‘pago a san de madre’, to attempt to mask the illicit nature of the transactions. In recent legal developments, the Special Prosecutor's Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca) has requested 18 months of preventive prison for approximately 25 to 26 individuals, including 22 doctors and former Senasa employees. A 526-page indictment alleges the group processed approximately 4,363 unauthorized medical service claims between January 2021 and early 2025, totaling roughly RD$41.1 million. Investigators identified further irregularities, such as billing for procedures like mammograms to male patients and recording medical services for patients documented as being outside of the country. During recent judicial hearings, it was reported that at least 10 of the defendants have admitted to the charges or are currently in negotiations with the Public Ministry.

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