CMD prepares for the entry into force of the new Criminal Code on August 3rd

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Medical College (CMD) held the panel “Let's Talk About the New Penal Code and Doctors”, with the purpose of guiding health professionals on the legal and criminal implications they could face with the eventual application of the new legislation. During the meeting, held at the union's headquarters, the general secretary of the CMD, Miosotis Lasala, expressed concern about the tightening of the sanctions contemplated in the penal reform and urged doctors to stay updated, act with prudence, and reinforce communication with patients and family members. Lasala indicated that, according to comments arising among doctors and on social media, the new Penal Code contemplates more severe penalties linked to the practice of medicine, which is why he considered it necessary to strengthen continuing education and the ethical practice of the profession. "We must live alert and expectant, doing work with quality and clear conscience. Doctors are not God, we are instruments to bring health with decorum and love", he expressed. From her side, the lawyer and central speaker of the event, Dariana Linares Corporán, explained that the objective of the panel was to make known which actions could generate criminal liability under the new legal framework.

You can also read: CMD prepares for the entry into force of the new Penal Code on August 3

The jurist warned that the legislative proposal establishes "quite drastic" penalties for crimes related to the practice of medicine, including increasing the maximum sentence from 30 to 40 years in prison and the introduction of the accumulation of sentences, a mechanism that would allow sentences to be added up to reach the 60 years of imprisonment. Likewise, it was pointed out that, although the penalties related to abortion were reduced in the reform, crimes such as involuntary manslaughter and involuntary injuries would register increases in the contemplated sanctions.