Dominican President, Hipolito Mejia, met with Batey Relief Alliance and BRA Dominicana

Manuel Baez, Ulrick Gaillard, Hipolito Mejia, Hipolito Mejia, Virtudes Berroa, Nexcy D’Leon

On Wednesday May 7th 2003, the President of the Dominican Republic, Hipolito Mejia received at the country’s national palace a delegation from the Batey Relief Alliance and BRA Dominicana to discuss the precarious socio-economic conditions that persist in the bateys, BRA’s humanitarian intervention in primary health care, and to seek the support of the President in helping BRA to carry out long-term health projects for the most impoverished, including Haitian migrant families and their children.

Victor Manuel Baez, Director of the country’s State Sugar Council, el Consejo Estatal del Azucar (CEA), arranged for the high-level meeting and explained to the President that the Batey Relief Alliance has been providing humanitarian health assistance to the country’s most impoverished for the past five years, and has invested more than $8 million dollars in services and training – in donations of critical drugs, medical supplies and equipment to its local member organizations and key partners such as the Dominican’s Ministry of Health and the CEA and the Haitian Embassy.

Nexcy D’Leon, BRA Dominicana’s head presented to the President the organization’s three-year plan to help provide complete healthcare to up to 30 percent of the batey population by year 2007. The plan includes a mobile health project, recently inaugurated at batey Altagracia, utilizing a 30-foot fully equipped and staffed mobile clinic providing primary care in general medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, ophthalmology, dentistry and preventive health education in HIV/AIDS to remotely located batey populations in Monte Plata.

The President offered his support in land and building structures to help BRA construct/renovate next year a Medical Care and Learning Center in the bateys Cinco Casas of Monte Plata. The CEA’s director, Mr. Baez, guaranteed the President of his office’s collaboration with the BRA to complete the project.

Present at the meeting was BRA’s Executive Director, Ulrick Gaillard, who presented to the President the organization’s official cap. Also present were BRA’s President, Carol King, BRA Dominicana’s Executive Director, Maria Virtudes Berroa, Dr. Raymond Thertulien, Isabelle I. Gardner, Sarah Beague, and two members of the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad (AMHE) Drs. Paul Nacier and Mario St. Laurent.