On Monday, Dominican Republic’s Health Minister Víctor Atallah traveled to Washington, D.C. to share the Caribbean nation’s landmark progress in overhauling its public health system with leading global health authorities, representatives of multilateral institutions and leading international public health experts.
The minister’s packed working schedule includes high-level engagements at two of the Western Hemisphere’s most influential regional bodies: the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Organization of American States (OAS). Both institutions are currently hosting focused regional conversations centered on three pressing public health priorities: cross-border public health coordination, innovative care delivery models, and expanded international cooperation to strengthen health systems across the Americas.
Atallah’s first stop is a specialized seminar hosted by PAHO, where he will share the stage with PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa and senior health delegates from nearly every country in the region. The seminar’s opening plenary is dedicated to exploring how actionable data, advanced health intelligence infrastructure, and broad digital transformation can elevate the quality of healthcare services worldwide, while also enabling public health leaders to proactively plan for shifting population health needs.
Following the PAHO seminar, Atallah will move to OAS headquarters to deliver a featured keynote presentation titled “Dominican Republic: Transforming the Health System to Guarantee Access, Innovation and Results.” During the address, he is expected to outline the core policy changes the Dominican government has implemented to expand universal access to care, integrate cutting-edge medical and digital technology into routine service delivery, strengthen institutional health leadership, and support evidence-based decision-making across all levels of the national health system.