Better Care for NCDs: PAHO Supports Dominican Republic’s Progress Toward the Elimination of Cervical Cancer

The projects are currently being implemented in the border areas of the provinces of Dajabón and Elías Piña. The mission included visits to health facilities to assess service organization, the functioning of care networks, and patient flows for cervical cancer prevention and control.

The mission team-comprising experts from PAHO's country office and regional headquarters-worked alongside national counterparts as part of PAHO's ongoing support to strengthen primary health care and advance a person-centered model of care under the Better Care for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) initiative and the Disease Elimination Initiative.

The objective was to support the operationalization of the Dominican Republic's National Plan for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, with a focus on strengthening prevention, screening, early diagnosis, and continuity of care, in line with the pillars of the Global Strategy and the Regional Action Plan to accelerate cervical cancer elimination.

As part of the agenda, PAHO, together with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MISPAS) and the National Health Service (SNS), conducted technical visits to first-level care facilities in Dajabón, as well as diagnostic centers and the provincial referral hospital. These visits made it possible to analyze service organization, the performance of care networks, and the flow of women through the system for prevention and control of cervical cancer.

The mission placed particular emphasis on the pillars of the cervical cancer elimination initiative as a strategy to expand coverage and bring services closer to women, especially those living in areas of greater territorial vulnerability. The team also reviewed logistics for sample management and mechanisms for referrals and the return of results-key elements for ensuring the continuity and timeliness of care.

A central component of the mission was identifying strengths and gaps in the consolidation of integrated health service networks to improve coordination between the first and second levels of care. This included reviewing referral and counter-referral systems, sample management logistics, and follow-up processes for women with positive results-essential elements for effective, person-centered care.

Person-Centered Care and Better NCD Services

All mission activities were aligned with PAHO's Better Care for NCDs initiative, which promotes integrated health service networks with a strong, resolutive first level of care and services centered on people. Within this framework, the KOICA-supported pilot offers an opportunity to strengthen the primary health care model and advance sustainable interventions to eliminate cervical cancer.

Institutional Coordination and National Commitment

The agenda also included high-level meetings with national authorities and participation in the Ministry of Health's official event marking Cervical Cancer Prevention Day. These engagements reaffirmed the country's commitment to prevention, early detection, and timely treatment. Strengthened coordination between MISPAS and SNS will enhance networked service delivery across first-level centers, laboratories, diagnostic centers, and hospitals, helping bring services closer to women.

The mission concluded with agreement on next steps to consolidate primary health care strengthening, improve coordination across care networks, and reinforce health system capacities. PAHO reiterated its commitment-through its regional headquarters and country office-to continue providing technical cooperation to the Dominican Republic as it advances toward the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.