Urgent preventive medicine, informative, to address the small problems of today that will be enormous tomorrow. But can we continue to be a country that invests and does not reap the rewards?
This is a complex issue that must be tackled in a broad way. The ultimate goal is to ensure the access of the entire population to primary oral health care, without undermining the sustainability of state resources. Is it possible to do so? I think so. This will require a well structured plan that starts from scratch, evaluating all the hypotheses and not a project that starts already guided by a pre-established direction. By this I mean that the plan must begin by looking at the network that already exists, realizing if it is enough, and then yes, setting the course.
This is a complex issue that must be tackled in a broad way. The ultimate goal is to ensure the access of the entire population to primary oral health care, without undermining the sustainability of state resources. Is it possible to do so? I think so. This will require a well structured plan that starts from scratch, evaluating all the hypotheses and not a project that starts already guided by a pre-established direction. By this I mean that the plan must begin by looking at the network that already exists, realizing if it is enough, and then yes, setting the course.
In a pragmatic way, we
have to recognize that the means of the SNS are clearly insufficient and
a large part of the population needs to be addressed which is not
covered by subsystems or health insurance and does not have the
financial resources to use the private sector . The problem is serious enough and requires urgent responses. It
will not be possible to wait for the state to have the resources to
create a network, nor does it seem to me the best solution.
It will be important to have the clairvoyance of realizing that the oral health problem in Portugal will only be quickly combated if the existing dental units are integrated into a future network, calling the dentists all to the discussion. I say well: everyone!
It will be important to have the clairvoyance of realizing that the oral health problem in Portugal will only be quickly combated if the existing dental units are integrated into a future network, calling the dentists all to the discussion. I say well: everyone!
There is a need
to optimize existing resources by listening to and integrating all
dentists, not just large centers, since the reality in the less
populated areas of the country is quite different from large urban
areas. Taking advantage of the existing network
will be a step that I consider vital to solve the serious public health
problem that affects a significant part of the Portuguese population.
As we well know the public network of dental care in Portugal is so insufficient that would oblige investments of such order that would walk not for a global solution, but for such a slow and phased solution. Taking advantage of the existing network appears to be an act of intelligence in management. All on the basis of protocol services.
As we well know the public network of dental care in Portugal is so insufficient that would oblige investments of such order that would walk not for a global solution, but for such a slow and phased solution. Taking advantage of the existing network appears to be an act of intelligence in management. All on the basis of protocol services.
And what services would be provided? I
believe that the best solution would be to invest in preventive
medicine, with an annual check-up, co-responsible for the patient's oral
health. The
State should not assume costs arising from the patients' lack of care,
but only ensure that users have access to consultations and information
on oral hygiene care that avoid more serious problems - and therefore
more costly for both parties.A preventive, informative medicine, to deal with the small problems of today that will be enormous tomorrow. Consultations where the patient can diagnose and treat, be directed to correct oral hygiene. This
would prevent serious problems by also ensuring the correct use of
public services in clinic cases where dental prostheses were implanted
(which should obviously be reimbursed in the necessary cases, as in other areas of medicine).
Good management of scarce resources will be the way to find a global solution and not a phased solution. Good management not only of financial resources, but also of human resources. Portugal, with recognized merits in training, has also been an exporter of dentists. The question is: can we continue to be a country that invests and does not reap the rewards? Why not find a way to integrate students who finish their courses in vocational internships?These internships, duly paid, would last for one year. This
dental medicine would allow that, at the end of this complementary
training, these professionals were better prepared to carry out their
activity. These
stages and this provision of oral health services to the population
would take place in the existing private units, as long as they fulfill
the previously established requirements. In
this integrated plan, Hospital Dental Medicine should be, above all,
aimed at treating urgent situations and not cases of negligence on the
part of the patient.
In short, and so
that the Oral Health of the Portuguese does not remain hostage to
subsystems and health plans, it is necessary to look at what we have in a
transversal way and find a solution that allows integrating what
already exists, also responding to surplus physicians dentists.
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