The plan that offers dental care for children of three to 16 years that passed only the 3.3 of the five million Euros available in 2007. And not even to cover the 65 thousand subjects always. “Lamentable”, it says the Dental Association.
The National Program of Oral Health Main directorate of Promotion of Salud (DGS) included 52,771 children and young people the past year. Five thousand more than in 2006, but below 65 thousands cash, in spite of the increase of the budget. This is equivalent to a rate of execution of 81%, very below 92% in 2006.
In spite of “the remarkable” advances in the face of the conditions of health available, the president of the Dental Association is sorry that the application of “inexplicably not being complete. This in a country that counts with about 1.3 million children and young people in the age groups.
Assuming that you cannot arrive at everybody – mainly because many families choose by private – Orlando Monteiro she gives Whistles considers that, at least, the children in the health centers must be covered gradually, beginning by youngest. If she is thus how many children of taken care of pregnant women in the National Service of Health (65 000 Euros/year), will be among three to 16 years, 795 000. “The cover does not reach 7%. There are children in waiting list to enter the program and the country occurs the luxury of not spending the money available.”
Orlando Whistles attributes the low yield of the shortage of dentists decided in the contract with the program (that includes schools and centers of health). They are the 1191 dentists in a hiring process, that the bureaucracy “blocks” the new adhesions and the price – 75 Euros/young year/- is not viable.
It says that the DGs (Main directorate – General of Health) that the 52 771 children who participate to 112 850 consultations, that is to say, an average of 2.3 each. Arguing on the number of treated cavities (there was the 150 147 before medical intervention and dental, passing to 34 321 later), to which there are to add to seals and fillings, we can see that “the number of treatments is much greater than the number of of the consultations”. And, it adds, “the greater complaint of the companions is that the most frequent cases are the smaller children of ten or more cavities.
For OMD (Dental Association), the solution to improve a program that ex- minister Correia of Fields considered “inadequate” (in sequence of January in which he determined the extension to 80 000 children this year) would impose the calendar of dental control for pregnant needed old women and. The dentists are part voluntarily and receive the 40 by consultation.
The few children of three to five years covered (4711, when one hundred thousands do not have in Portugal around) are another Orlando critic Whistles. He follows why them from the beginning that he avoids and he prevents the dental decay and he fulfills the program.