Dominican Republic patient waits over a year for high-cost medication amid program failures

A patient in the Dominican Republic faces a prolonged wait for essential medication, highlighting systemic issues within the Ministry of Public Health's High-Cost Medication Program. The applicant, who requested anonymity, was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2025 and requires ocrelizumab, a drug costing around one million pesos, to manage her chronic condition.

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All the documents are loaded on their platform (...), everything they asked me for at the time for admission was delivered and is loaded on the page. What they say is that there are no medications.

Her application, submitted in June 2025, remains stalled on the program's platform, indicating no movement. She reports waiting over a year despite submitting all required documents. "They just say there are no medications," she stated, contradicting recent public statements by the Minister of Public Health, Víctor Atallah, about expanding access.

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we are advancing in the search for solutions that allow timely and sustainable access to high-cost medications

Medical professionals and patients alike express skepticism about the program's functionality. Rheumatologists suggest it has stagnated since a post-pandemic boost, while patients believe political influence dictates access. Many turn to foundations and NGOs as a second hope, but the high cost of such drugs makes consistent access difficult. The lack of clear communication from the program's customer service, which simply advises callers to "wait," exacerbates the frustration and fuels theories about favoritism.

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