The District of Santarém is one of five national level where people are forced to use private dentists because this specialty does not exist in public health services, according to a survey of the Dental Association. The remaining Braga, Guarda, Viseu and Portalegre.
According to the "Survey information carried in the health centers and hospitals throughout the continent" by the Dental Association (O.M.D.), which was presented at the XIV Congress of these professionals, nine out of ten health centers do not have doctors and dentists in seven ten hospitals suffer from the same shortcoming. The situation is worse in the five districts mentioned, since none of the hospitals or health centers serving those populations have this specialty.
The coordinator of the Sub-Health Region Santarém, Fernando Afoito, confirms that there is not staffing to dentists in health centers and specialty also not enter the accounts of public hospitals in the district. But he stresses that "Santarém is not zero in this field."
Been going on for five years a program of oral hygiene, guaranteed by qualified technicians, originally intended for schoolchildren. This year has been extended to pregnant women and users of rehabilitation centers for children.
"We have ten oral hygienists that cover eleven health centers - Benavente, Salvaterra, Coruche, Cartaxo, Rio Maior, Almeirim, Torres Novas, Tomar, Entroncamento, Fátima and Ourém," said Fernando Afoito. To ensure the service in other health centers, the Sub-Health Region contracted dentists. "Only in Santarem we contract with five," says the same charge.
The work is mainly done to prevent tooth decay and maintaining oral hygiene. From there, it only dentist in the private market. Where sometimes the service is paid its weight in gold.
The survey conducted by OMD now updates an earlier study in 2001, and reveals that, for the provision of treatment in oral health, "the situation has not changed, rather, has worsened." The Dental Association points out that the dentists' can only perform their duties as professionals, since there is no legislation that falls within the National Health Service. "
The lifting of the Dental Association covered 410 medical institutions spread across 79 hospitals and 340 health centers, the 18 districts of mainland Portugal. Taking into account all health facilities surveyed, "only 11 percent of cases there is a" specialty of dentistry or dental, which represents a reduction compared to 2001, concludes the Dental Association.
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It is unfortunate that this country will see on television the main national leaders at the inauguration of the health units of privately and these same governments never do anything for an increasingly dire oral health in central hospitals and health centers.
How can the tax money paid by all who work in this country continue to be diverted to lucrative business of private hospitals, where only the rich can get? What the politicians responsible for this situation?
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