Dr. Rafael Emilio Morel Herrera

Dr. Rafael Emilio Morel Herrera is a general surgeon at Hospital General de la Plaza de la Salud in Santo Domingo — one of the Dominican Republic's largest and most comprehensive hospitals. With 17 years of surgical experience, he performs a high volume of laparoscopic and open abdominal procedures.

The Dominican Republic has a growing surgical infrastructure, and Santo Domingo's major hospitals increasingly offer minimally invasive surgery at costs significantly lower than in the United States — a factor that draws Dominican-Americans and medical tourists from nearby Caribbean islands seeking elective and semi-elective surgical care. Dr. Morel Herrera's practice covers the full spectrum of general surgery from routine cholecystectomy and hernia repair to colon resection and thyroid surgery.

He completed an advanced laparoscopic surgery fellowship and has trained with American surgical programs, which informs his technique and communication with English-speaking patients. He is an ACS member and consults in Spanish and English.

Dr. Morel Herrera completed his Doctor en Medicina at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) and his surgical residency at Hospital General de la Plaza de la Salud. He completed a Fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery, with training in Colombia and the United States. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and a member of the Sociedad Dominicana de Cirugía General and the Asociación de Cirujanos del Caribe (ACCA).

Dr. Morel Herrera performs laparoscopic cholecystectomy, laparoscopic appendectomy, laparoscopic and open hernia repair (inguinal, umbilical, incisional), and laparoscopic colectomy for colorectal disease. He performs open and minimally invasive thyroid and parathyroid surgery, manages abdominal trauma in the emergency setting, and performs colorectal procedures including hemorrhoidectomy and sphincteroplasty. He maintains a trauma surgery commitment at Hospital General de la Plaza de la Salud serving Santo Domingo's trauma patients.

Dr. Morel Herrera sees Dominican diaspora patients returning from the United States and Puerto Rico for elective surgery, and international patients seeking surgical care at Dominican hospitals, where costs are substantially lower than in North America. He offers pre-operative video consultations in English and Spanish and coordinates post-operative care plans for patients returning home after surgery. Hospital General de la Plaza de la Salud has experience managing international patient logistics including coordinated accommodation and post-operative monitoring.

Dr. Morel Herrera has been recognized by the Sociedad Dominicana de Cirugía General for his contributions to minimally invasive surgical education in the Dominican Republic. He has presented at ACCA annual congresses and contributes to surgical residency training at Hospital General de la Plaza de la Salud. He is committed to advancing laparoscopic surgery standards in the Dominican public and private hospital sector.