Hospital Upgrade: The National Health Service (SNS) has begun the first phase of renovating Salvador B. Gautier Hospital, a nearly one-billion-peso investment aimed at modernizing infrastructure, technology, and care spaces. Public Health Network at Work: SNS director Julio Landrón says the Central American and Caribbean Games showed the system’s capacity, with free medical support backed by hospitals, primary care units, and a major reference center. Tobacco Control: The Ministry of Public Health is pushing 100% smoke-free environments nationwide, including schools, workplaces, healthcare facilities, and public transport, with a youth-focused forum on tobacco and vaping risks. Clinic Safety Crackdown: Health authorities say they’ve shut down more than 1,100 medical centers for regulatory violations and urge people to verify credentials before surgery. Mpox Watch: The Ministry confirmed two mpox cases in a San Cristóbal detention center and says suspected cases are under lab review, with no evidence of community spread. Health Tourism Policy: The Senate approved on first reading a bill to create a council to promote and regulate Dominican health tourism with quality and safety standards. Local Care Expansion: President Abinader delivered the renovated Hacienda Estrella Municipal Hospital, settling a decades-old gap with new emergency services and modern equipment. Wildlife & Health: As exotic-animal seizures rise, the country’s zoo is taking in confiscated species, highlighting the public-health and safety risks tied to illegal wildlife ownership. Smallpox Research (Global): New DNA findings from Chilean mummies add to evidence that smallpox reached the Americas during early Spanish colonization, with the first Hispaniola outbreak documented in 1518.