icon-nav-help
Need Help

Submit your question to our team of health care professionals.

icon-nav-current-questions
Current Question

See what's on the mind of the community right now.

icon-conf-speakers-at-a-glance
Meet the Team

Learn more about our world-renowned team.

icon-nav-archives
CWD Answers Archives

Review the entire archive according to the date it was posted.

CWD_Answers_Icon
June 26, 2006

Other, Traveling

advertisement
Question from England:

Both of my twins are insulin dependant diabetics. I am thinking of taking them abroad to the Dominican Republic. We will be staying in Puerto Plata. What are their local hospitals like? What would happen if they got a sick bug over there?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

According to the mother of two boys with diabetes who lives in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata is a small city located in the northern part of the Dominican Republic on the Atlantic coast, about three and a half hours drive from Santo Domingo. There are hospitals in Puerto Plata. Also, in most of the hotels, there are on-call doctors. We recommend that you make sure you bring your glucagon kits, as well as medication for diarrhea and nausea. Should your children have a diabetes emergency that could not be handled in Puerto Plata, there are endocrinologists at U.C.E. Hospital in Santo Domingo.

BH

[Editor’s comment: You may wish to find out if your local endocrinologist will provide you with a phone number or e-mail address where you can reach him/her during the time you will be away. You could also ask your endocrinologist if he has any medical contacts in the Dominican Republic.

BH]