448. SCHOOL DR. FRANCISCO FERNANDES LOPES (OLHÃO): Final product not approved

As has been said many times here on the blog throughout the year, the final product (at least officially) Oral Health of the project was the deployment of machines that provide toothbrushes and toothpaste in the bathroom of the school. The proposal was the executive board, however, for monetary reasons, this was not approved.

As such, this product will not be done already. The group will leave everything ready for that one next year, the machines can be put in school.

Saúde Oral: Escova, Sorri, Brilha

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Extremely distressing and desperate to see a project to stay in the drawer when it comes to something that came out and worked by them. It is unfortunate that the authorities including the Regional Education Directorate of the Algarve and the Directorate - General for Health, make a clean sweep of youth initiatives and do nothing for this initiative is implemented on the ground and is an innovative project at the national level, extremely shameful attitude that these institutions are having with these young people.

However there are already tens of billions of euros in modernization of school because it is money they can be distributed to the civil contractors, whereas the oral health of children and young people can stay for the next generation, for our children's children .

This is what politicians and governments have to provide our young people.

447. Dental checks to pay for professionals

The promise was not fulfilled. The dentists of the North are still waiting for payment of most of the queries given in the context of the National Oral Health. Although there is money. The chaos only regularize the services in June.

The assurance given even very recently by Assistant Secretary of State and Health was that the payment of dental checks to the professionals who treat patients referred by health centers would go on track days in the past thirty-first of March The argument to justify the delay in payment, which has dragged since October, was the inability of the regional administrations of Health (ARS) and North Center to handle the volume of requests.

The truth is that the ARS Center solved the problem but not the North. Lack of staff was the excuse, at a time when payments declined requests for treatment for children integrated in the National Oral Health Promotion (PNPSO) in May 2009. The checks were delivered between July and August, resulting in an excess volume from September. It was necessary to use external services to help manage the payments.

According to Paulo Melo, secretary general of the Order of Dentists, the situation is only beginning to be solved. From October to March were validated 59,148 dental checks, and sent to the providers billing for the 12,486 checks. The last payments relate, mostly, the billing of December, said Paul Melo. The very backwardness led doctors not to send the invoices. The accumulated debt is 285 400 euros, with a promise of settlement next week.

Only, however, accumulate checks issued since January. The official statement, said the manager, is that the standardization of payments (30 days) will be a reality in June. Already we feel the secretary of state that the promise was not fulfilled, although there is a sign of improvement. At the Center, with less volume of orders, hiring staff solved the problem, subsisting only occasional situations of minor delays. In other ARS, there was no problem.

The PNPSO allowed access to oral health care to some sections of the community through the delivery of € 40 vouchers for treatments private clinics that have joined the program. He began by covering the approximately 65 000 pregnant women annually tracked in Health Centres (not extend to those opting for private) and elderly beneficiaries of the solidarity supplement, a group whose membership remains as weak, due to difficulties of information for themselves and crossing data with Social Security. Last year was extended to children aged seven, ten and 13 years. With nearly 30 million allocated this year, PNPSO soon extends to patients with HIV.

Jornal de Notícias (April 19, 2010)

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If the Health Ministry and the Directorate - General Health wreak havoc treat such a small percentage of children and adolescents, then picture yourself as walk the rest of the Portuguese population in terms of oral health.

It was good that the Health Committee of Parliament established the chaos that is responsible for oral health in Portugal, the Portuguese tax payers to pay for work done by Members and wish to be clarified why the oral health does not work in Portugal.

446. Azorean Government invests in school health

Children and young Azorean up to 18 years, will now be subject to periodic health exams, starting next school year, as part of a school health program promoted by the Government of Azores.

The Regional Health School of Health and Children and Youth was presented today at the Auditorium of the Francisco Ornelas da Câmara Integrated School House, built in celebration of World Health Day On the occasion was also signed a protocol between the Regional Offices of Health and Education and Training, establishing mechanisms for cooperation to implement this innovative program, which contemplates the realization of several tests for detecting recurrent disease in such areas as oral health, obesity, vision and hearing.

It is intended to instill in students Kindergarten to Secondary powers of autonomy, responsibility and critical spirit necessary for the adoption of behaviors and lifestyles. The Department of Health will ensure that the Health Units include health promotion in schools in their business plans, while the Regional Secretariat for Education and Training undertakes to carry out a reorganization of programs in primary and secondary, in view of development of health education in school projects and class.

Will be formed 17 teams of school health, which include a doctor and a nurse on the basis of 24 hours per week for each group of 2500 students. They may also include, these teams other health Health and Education. The Regional Government, to intervene in the prevention and diagnosis, you will contribute to the health and welfare of our children, and simultaneously, it is expected that it will substantially reduce the social and economic costs arising from screening and treatment late, said the Regional Secretary for Education and Training.

For this project Lina Mendes health school has to function as a contribution from the Government to safeguard the health of younger populations, although it does not override the role of families and carers, who are primarily responsible for the main health of their children / students.

At a later stage it is the intention of the Regional Secretariat for Education and Training to create a database to ensure that each student in the Educational System of the Azores has a personal record, which includes not only information on their schooling, but also data on their health. According to Lina Mendes, this record will significantly improve levels of school management, since, for example, when a student change schools, the new educational establishment will have immediate access to the entire school history and health of the student who receives.

Secretary to the Regional Health Plan we have a great range in terms of prevention and, perhaps, one of the most solid investments in health. According to Miguel Correia many of our children and our youth are overweight, poor diet and little physical activity practice. Furthermore the constant threat of dependency will seriously jeopardize the full adoption of healthy lifestyles.

We want our children to be seen regularly by a doctor that their health parameters are evaluated periodically, that our young people know more about health, cooking know fast food, fun and healthy, he said.

AZORESdigital

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No one understands that these projects are not national in scope and restricted to only a very small percentage of children and youth of the country. It is these things that the promoters of health, in particular organizations of dentists must act with the government, including the Ministries of Health and Education and the Directorate General of Health; have courage and take the responsibility which they compete.

While not seriously invest in oral health care in all primary schools and health centers across the country will continue to be a European country remembered for the worst conditions of the oral health of the population.

We can not continue to bury our heads in the sand and leave everything as it is the same: the worst thing that today's generation can do is limit now to the oral health of our children and grandchildren, leaving it to luck and who have become first future candidates for adults angry with the system.

445. Eight dentists false sentenced to prison

Eight false dentists were sentenced to prison terms and fines in the last two years, for illegal practice and usurpation of functions, according to data from the Dental Association (OMD). The president, Orlando Monteiro da Silva, told DN that the majority of cases resulted in suspended sentences of two years and payments of fines, which were 800 to 12 thousand euros. The doctor who moved in 2008, 2009 and the first months of 2010 were 47 complaints received and accounted for 38 criminal complaints, eight of which ended in convictions. Until now, we never lose an action, he says.
Although we are faced with dozens of cases of probable malpractice, illegal practice or breach of conditions of hygiene, Orlando Monteiro da Silva ensures that this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many cases that are not punished and others are not able to prove because of anonymous leave regrets. Although there are plenty of criminal complaints related to situations involving risk of hygiene and sanitation, about 80% are due to cases of usurpation of functions and the unlawful exercise stresses.
In the first case we are talking about situations where those involved do not have the qualifications to practice and still call themselves dentists, in the latter do not have the necessary training, such as dental or prosthetic.

The doctor points to the existence of networks of migration, with doctors who are illegally in the country and are not registered in the Order. Sometimes there are colleagues who are registered and that cover the situation. These doctors come to jump in clinical practitioner of a particular group or to work only three or four months. In any case, there are situations of Portuguese and foreign professionals who are trained but not registered in the OMD or not equivalence asked about the course of another country.

The OMD have campaigned with the authorities in connection with the verification of the units and professionals. The doctor also requests that users, when in doubt, ask the physician's professional identification card and verify the identification of the clinic. The future aim is that people can see a site where doctors are enrolled in the institute.

The complaints and denunciations related to hygienic and sanitary conditions imply a joint work with public health authorities, which may determine the closure of units, even if temporarily. This year alone, ten were closed clinics and offices, but we estimate that there are 30 to 40 closures per year, added the president.

There are many situations that are not used in medical devices allowed. Example is the use of dental implants counterfeit, without certification. They are often low-cost materials that can jeopardize the health of the patient. The complaints stem both from clients and doctors and more health professionals, among others.

Diário de Notícias

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The exercise of dentist as well as all professional activities as they relate to oral health is vital to human health, a simple mistake or negligence can come to constrain the ongoing life of a patient, which can assume disastrous repercussions and negatively affect a person's life. Now imagine if such errors or neglect or are committed on young children and the effects that might ensue for the rest of their lives, both physically and psychologically.

It requires a vigilant and permanent authority over all places wherever they make dental care, the ongoing surveillance is the golden rule and safeguard public health.

All dental professionals should have all his professional activity covered by insurance, vocational training should be mandatory and required annually for the professional oral health can continue to carry on its business.

The state shall never allow the pursuit of activities related to oral health if they do not comply with the rules listed above.

444. Over 400 young dentists emigrated to England

There are graduates in dentistry to win around 500 euros. Others, the percentage paid, earn even less. Blame it on the over-licensed, which requires them, often, to look abroad. Only in England are already over 400.

The complaint came from the newly-formed Union of Dentists (SMD), which warns of the difficult integration of young graduates in the labor market. A risk for which the Class Order (OMD) has been warning for some years, before the proliferation of college courses. Portugal now has seven faculties, in which they enroll each year by half a thousand students.

There is an enormous amount of dentists, admits Antony Roseiro of SMD, refusing, however, talk too much. What is excessive is the lack of care, with access to oral care still restricted for much of its population. For lack of oral care in the National Health Service (S.N.S.) - that the program of dental checks only solves a small part of.

On his side, the president of the Dental Association (OMD) prefer even talk too much. Portugal has the most dentists in a country with the accessibility of oral care as our own. Orlando Monteiro da Silva says that there is still the misconception that dentistry is like the rest of medicine and has good job opportunities. It is not quite so.

Result: some willing to work with low salaries, but being an independent profession, free and independent, no agency can interfere in the matter. In 98% of cases, are professionals who work in offices or own the green receipt. Why accept such conditions? Because they are afraid to talk, says António Roseiro. Hence the lack of resources for ongoing training which is essential in the profession, he assures. That leaves the solution of emigration. Only in England three months ago, more than 400 Portuguese were recorded in their bar, ensures the president of OMD. And there's more elsewhere.

Jornal de Notícias

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The result of decades of health policies pursued by the Ministry of Health, sponsored by the Directorate - General Health and praised by the central block in the National Assembly are definitely lead to chaos for the provision of oral health care in our country. The destruction of what remains of oral health services within the S.N.S. (National Health Service) and the delivery of public health responsibilities of the private economic interests of groups that seek to profit only now beginning to directly affect their own oral health professionals trained in our country.

It is unacceptable to the direct exploitation of young dentists in Portugal, made by clinical and economic groups, with the convenience of the government entities that oversee nothing and leave the working relationships of these highly qualified professionals in situations quite precarious and subject to all kinds of exploitation .

Welcome to the Syndicate of Dentists, is also time to dentists and other oral health professionals to demonstrate firmness and determination in oral public health policies of our country and give a red alert convincing the government to the urgent need for change deep current policies in the area of oral health, starting quickly to the need to evaluate the social role played by these professionals.

443. Project aims to take care of the oral health of disadvantaged children and pregnant

It is shameful the swamp of oral health in Portugal and unfortunately something that has to do from private initiatives and voluntarily.

It is urgent positions in defense of the needy and victimized by the system; oral health should be made ​​available to all Portuguese people in equal circumstances.

The Government, the Parliament and DGS (Directorate - General for Health) need to take urgent measures to put an end to the tremendous inequalities in access to dental care that exist today in our country. It is urgent and needed a major overhaul of current policies in order to channel resources for medical care and empty amorphous bodies that represent costs and have zero value - added to improve the oral health of the Portuguese, the same financial resources can and should allow very best care and oral health.

It takes place on an equal footing the public and private sector, both have to provide minimum services to the population quality in terms of oral health, without discrimination based on income, social class or age of the people.

Is urgent to start promoting preventive oral health, right from infancy, and institutionalize an urgent bulletin Individual Oral Health; see examples made ​​in other countries, much less developed than Portugal but we take many years to advance in terms of oral health.

Eliminate programs were contracting, authentic blue bags are nothing more than mere handouts that solve nothing and let everything stay the same.

Dentists are trained in the country at the expense of taxes of all Portuguese have to be of service to the entire population; its various organizations, all levels are responsible for the good of public health and forcefully denounce and repudiate in the strongest terms the use of oral health as a means of enrichment and manipulation by multinational corporations and economic groups, which severely degrade the accessibility of dental care to those who have more needs and can not do so for economic reasons.

Only then can we have better oral health in Portugal, without this meaning any increase in health spending in the budgets of the country.

If you are unable to act, then put your jobs on offer and let others do more and better.