On Monday, the president of the republic, Luis Abinader, appointed prominent Santiago doctor Daniel Rivera as the new health minister.
The appointment of this internist-intensivist comes three days after the dismissal of his colleague Dr. Plutarco Arias, also from Santiago.
Rivera studied medicine at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM). He holds a postgraduate degree in internal medicine from José María Cabral y Báez Regional University Hospital, where he was Chief of Residents.
In addition, according to data provided by the Presidency of the Republic, he has a specialty in intensive care as well as a master’s degree in management and planning of centers and support services at ABC Hospital, American British Cowdray, in Mexico.
Professor of the PUCMM since 2004. He was three times director of the medical career. He was the first Director of the Department of Medicine to graduate from the said university and was a manager of changes in the Modular Medicine career curriculum.
Dr. Rivera holds a degree in hospital management from the Catalan Foundation in Barcelona (Spain) and a master’s degree in health from the University of Murcia, Spain.
This health specialist, like former Minister Plutarco Arias, is founder and partner of the Northern Medical Union Clinic. In addition, he has been chairman of the board of directors since 2010.
He was also the founder and president of what is today the Medical Cooperative of Santiago.
Elected in 2018, Rivera is the current Vice President of the National Association of Private Clinics and Hospitals (Andeclip), an institution that recognized him as a “preeminent physician,” along with the Dominican Medical College (North Regional), Medical-Legal Assistance Plan (Plamejur), and the Secretariat of Medical Education.
The new health minister was vice president of the Dominican Medical College of Santiago and a senior leader of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM).
In March 2020, when positive cases of Covid-19 were just starting to appear in the country, Rivera became infected.
He has served more than thirty years in both the public and private sectors; From next Monday, it will be his turn to take the reins of the still dormant fight against the coronavirus in the country, as the government is at the start of the Vaccination Plan against the aforementioned disease.