US-Dominican health mission Amistad 2026 aids 1,900 in La Vega

Around 1,900 people in La Vega received free medical care during the two-week health cooperation mission Amistad 2026, coordinated by the Dominican Ministry of Public Health and the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). The mission, held from August 3–14, 2026, provided consultations in general and family medicine, dentistry, ophthalmology, pediatrics, psychology, and dermatology, along with preventive health guidance Source: El Caribe, Infobae, Diario Libre.

Scope and locations

Services were delivered at two hospitals: the Hospital Regional Universitario Dr. Luis Morillo King and the Hospital Municipal Dra. Almida García, where Dominican and U.S. professionals worked jointly, combining direct patient care with training and clinical exchange Source: Infobae, Diario Libre. The mission is part of a cooperation program led by the U.S. Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH) under SOUTHCOM, aimed at strengthening operational medical readiness and health system capacities Source: El Caribe, Diario Libre.

Official statements

At the closing ceremony, Health Minister Víctor Atallah affirmed the government's commitment to continue such missions: "We will always be willing and open to these missions continuing..." Source: El Caribe. U.S. Ambassador Leah Campos emphasized the importance of building alliances before crises: "It is important to create an effective alliance before a crisis and not during one" Source: Infobae. Brigadier General Tara Nolan highlighted that the mission's greatest success was the trust built between nations, not just patient numbers Source: Diario Libre.

Key points

• 1,900 beneficiaries across multiple communities Source: El Caribe, Infobae, Diario Libre
• Two weeks of operations (Aug 3–14, 2026) Source: El Caribe, Infobae
• Seven specialties offered Source: El Caribe, Infobae
• Two hospitals involved Source: Infobae, Diario Libre