Hospitals in the Dominican Republic have treated more than 30,000 Haitians wounded in the magnitude-7.3 earthquake of January 12, Dominican Republic Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez said on Monday.

Rojas said that health facilities in Santo Domingo and nearby towns would take more injured Haitians after the US government decided to suspend the transfer of Haitians to US hospitals until they figured out who will cover the expense.

"As long as the hospitals in Dominican Republic have the possibility of assisting the victims of the earthquake, we will continue respecting their human rights by giving them medical assistance," he said.

The Health Ministry of the Dominican Republic has invested 428 million pesos (US$11.7 million) on the medical assistance to the Haitian patients, said Rojas.

General Melenciano at Jimani, Dario Contreras at Santo Domingo and Jose Maria Cabral y Baez at Santiago are among the major hospitals to offer medical assistance to the Haitian quake victims, he added.

Meanwhile, Ecuadorian Health Minister Carolina Chang said Ecuador is keen on strengthening ties with the Dominican Republic to work together in their assistance to the Haitian people.

Chang said that the Dominican Republic not only serves as a crucial link to deliver aid to Haiti, but also offers advice to other South American countries over what aid is most needed there.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2010)