Sunday 25 November 2012

535. Topics for the development of an oral health policy in Portugal (I)

1.- Considering the huge gap between the oral health care available to the population in Portugal and those provided in other EU countries;
2.- Noting the huge income inequalities between social classes, with direct reflection on the opportunities of access to oral health care;
3.- Knowing that oral health is an essential commodity for the physical well-being and psychological of any human being, from childhood to old age (and its absence causes immeasurable damage and permanently for the rest of his life, in both physical and psychological)
4.- Observing a lack of moral ethics on the part of heads of ministerial health of past governments to study and implement concrete measures to eradicate diseases oral health;
5.- Having regard to almost zero role of the Directorate - General of Health to promote an effective and accurate real prevention of oral health in the school environment;
6.- Noting the systematic utilization of available resources for oral health in the order of many millions of euros spent on advertising, software, brochures and the like, without which there would result a single real medical treatment;
7.- Assuming that many actively entities with interests oral health sector in Portugal claim that everything remains the same, no change;
8.- Existing in Portugal all the human and material resources needed for full health care, in terms of oral health, the entire Portuguese population.
It is time to apply the new government, already, several measures that humanize the oral health sector in Portugal, namely:
a) implementation of the Oral Health Card for all children and young people;
b) complete allocation of all funds for oral health programs solely on medical procedures;
c) use of social media audiences, including television, to promote a culture of responsible oral health;
d) maximum possible dissemination of oral health services available in the country, including those allocated to the National Health Service;
e) introduction of oral health exams as a requirement for mandatory registration and renewal of registration in all primary schools and secondary schools;
f) creation of a single national telephone number, intended solely to oral health;
g) contracts for services directly between the state and young dentists, formed recently, in order to place in the labor market all dentists trained by the universities;
h) valuation of initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation between the various specialties of oral health, dental and dental and the remaining valences of the National Health Service;
i) invests in tax incentives that allow the creation and retention of small units of oral health in poorer and more remote from major cities;
j) strong support for scientific research of young graduates in areas of high interest to the public oral health;
l) review of the role of all institutions related to oral health sector, particularly in terms of competence and public responsibilities;
m) introduction of partnership with third countries by setting annual quotas of emigration / immigration of oral health professionals;
n) establish a period of extraordinary legalization for all oral health professionals in the country illegally established, stipulating obligations and duties;
o) make and publish a mandatory national system of annual appraisal of all professionals related to oral health;
p) officially certify entities and bodies providing services or products required for the development of all activities related to oral health;
q) promote practical training of all technicians in oral health training institutions providing the necessary resources to fulfill their duties.
 

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