LA VEGA – A binational health security partnership between the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Health and the United States Southern Command has officially kicked off the Friendship 2024 cooperation mission in the central city of La Vega, bringing no-cost clinical care to local residents and forging deeper professional ties between medical teams from both nations.
Running from August 3 through August 14, the 12-day initiative unites skilled medical personnel from both countries to deliver direct patient services, exchange cutting-edge clinical knowledge, and boost the overall care capacity of Dominican health systems. Organized under the umbrella of U.S. Air Forces South (AFSOUTH), a component command of U.S. SOUTHCOM, the mission forms part of a broader regional collaboration framework focused on improving public health outcomes across the Western Hemisphere.
Dominican Health Minister Víctor Atallah emphasized that the outreach will deliver tangible benefits to thousands of local community members who may face barriers to accessing routine care, while also offering a valuable hands-on training opportunity for domestic healthcare workers to expand their professional skills and clinical experience.
From the U.S. side, Lieutenant Colonel Donald Davison, a representative from U.S. Air Forces South, noted that the joint mission creates a rare, productive space for medical providers from the two nations to work shoulder-to-shoulder, exchange evidence-based best practices, and refine joint operational readiness for future public health challenges. “These collaborative efforts don’t just help patients today—they build relationships that strengthen health security across the region for years to come,” Davison shared.
Free services are currently being offered at two La Vega medical facilities: the Luis Morillo King Regional University Hospital and the Dra. Almida García Municipal Hospital. Available care includes general medical consultations, dental screenings and treatments, ophthalmology appointments, and personalized public health guidance. All services are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and no elective surgical procedures are scheduled as part of this iteration of the Friendship mission.