Hospital Regional Universitario Jaime Mota

Hospital Regional Universitario Jaime Mota is the main public hospital in Barahona and the referral hospital for the whole Enriquillo health region, which covers Barahona, Pedernales, Bahoruco and Independencia provinces. It is run by the national health service (Servicio Nacional de Salud) as a third-level teaching hospital, so it is where serious cases from the coast road and from Pedernales are sent. If you are hurt or fall seriously ill anywhere between Barahona and Bahía de las Águilas, this is the nearest full hospital.

What it offers: a 24-hour emergency department, inpatient wards, surgery, obstetrics, pediatrics and an intensive care unit. It is a busy public hospital and Dominican press has reported on overcrowding and equipment problems over the years, so expect waits for anything that is not urgent. The hospital says its emergency room is staffed around the clock.

What to bring: the hospital's emergency page asks for a cédula (Dominican ID) or, for foreigners, a passport. Staff speak Spanish; do not count on English, so a translation app or a Spanish-speaking companion helps. Public hospitals in the Dominican Republic do not usually bill international insurers directly. For non-emergency care where you want to use travel insurance, a private clinic in town is often the easier route, while Jaime Mota remains the place for real emergencies and stabilization before any transfer to Santo Domingo.

Contact: emergency line +1 809-524-2586; administrative office +1 809-200-0676 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Address: Av. Casandra Damirón at the corner of Víctor Matos, No. 7, Barahona. For an ambulance anywhere in the country, call 911.

Who should go here: anyone with a serious injury or illness in the Barahona or Pedernales area, including car accidents on the coast road and heat illness after a day at the lakes. Further south, the Hospital Provincial Dr. Elio Fiallo in Pedernales handles first-line emergencies. For specialized care, the private hospitals in the capital, such as Hospiten Santo Domingo, are about 3 hours away by road.