Monday 22 December 2008

162) Portugal in the last

The nearly six thousand dentists (5056 members are enrolled in Portuguese Dental Association) in Portugal would be enough for everyone to the Portuguese received the necessary care in dentistry. However, it is not what happens. And Portugal presents itself as the last of the European Union countries on health care at this level, about the second paragraphs of the order, 40 percent of the population does not receive the care they need.
And given this reality we can only lament the specialists Portuguese. And try to explain. The clarification - they say - based on the lack of dentists in the National Health Service and the weak economic resources of most Portuguese. Also the lack of information is often behind the mouths of the Portuguese badly treated, reminded the President of the Portuguese Dental Association (ODM) and - strengthened - "the lack of mechanisms facilitating access to Dental Medicine." And in this field, which includes elderly, the disabled or inherited diseases and infection of the forum, in need of care (even more) special.
For all this and more, particularly because "there is no health in general without oral health" is necessary that this specialty is introduced in the National Health.
When we refer to prices more or less stable throughout the country and from office to office - the order ensures that there are no tables or conciliation of prices, up by prohibition of the Competition Authority - as inhibitors of access services to a large part of Portuguese, Orlando Monteiro, Chairman, and Paulo Melo, medical and dental professor at the School of Dental Medicine of the University, are unanimous. "The prices only reflect the high costs imposed by the specificities of the consultation." And the chairman of the MDGs pointed out that the consultations this specialty are paid in full by the user, to give a real sense of values. On the contrary - argued - "the other specialties are offered by the state, paid by taxpayers through the tax, then, the burden is so diluted and mitigate."
Also the expert Paulo Melo acknowledged that "people of lower economic resources will not be able to go to a private consultation", but sent the justification for the failure of prices in this specialty in that direction was given by Orlando Monteiro: the costs involved in a Consultation of dentistry are high and that could easily fall. "The solution lies in an open access to consultation within the NHS to the poorest people," reinforced the specialist, whose numbers that made for those who can not be seen by a doctor dentist is close to 60 percent.
The lack of expertise in the management of Public Service, in addition to depriving a large number of Portuguese people from accessing "the constitutionally enshrined fundamental right, namely the right to health", led to the elimination of, because at the time, inadequate services the level of oral health. And the expert Paulo Melo gave his vision of what is happening. "Portugal must be of the few European countries that do not have a department of oral health in the Ministry of Health", so there is no national strategy at this level. " And reminded the process for the withdrawal of those services in health centers.
What exists in these structures were stomatologists health (people with the stroke of Medicine who made a specialization in Stomatology), but the current European legislation does not address the formation of this group of professionals, they will be endangered and ceased to be in health centers. "What would be normal" was the replacement of those dentists by doctors, but there is the career of these specialists in Civil Service, it seems obvious situation could not be achieved, leading to the cessation of oral health in the public sector.
Paulo Melo, who made the trip by the time to explain the purpose of the consultations in public service, referred to the still topical. And this shows that there are few health centers that rely on doctors and dentists when this happens is himself before hiring outside the ranks of the Civil Service.
In addition to the above reasons for which the Portuguese have 'mouths ugly, you can not pass along the news that from time to time give account of the illegality of around the sector. Generally, the unlawful actions based on lack of qualifications or inadequate qualifications of people who act as a dentist. The reported cases are awaiting response from the courts, which are often "poor", up by delays in resolving cases, pointed Orlando Monteiro. It is not easy (as in any other area) for the common user understand who are the real or those who are going through this.
Against this uncertainty, the chairman of the ODM advises the patient to seek professional certificate to whom it is providing the treatment. Or alternatively try out to the order if the doctor dentist is registered and has the appropriate qualifications to carry on or not, the treatment to which it proposes. This information can be obtained by phone or the Web site http://www.omd.pt/.
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The radiograph of the situation is made; only lack the political will to resolve the situation.
Gerofil

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