“In this national oral health network, we will also have our collaboration network with the social and private sectors,” stated the Secretary of State for Health during a parliamentary hearing on the ministry’s policies.
Ana Povo explained that the national network will focus on the oral health offices within primary healthcare facilities and integrate into the national plan for this area, set to be unveiled in November and effective for four years.
As of March this year, there were 222 oral health offices across 39 local health units (ULS), staffed by 139 dentists and 121 oral hygienists, Ana Povo noted in response to deputies’ inquiries about the shortage of professionals in this field within the National Health Service (SNS), which has delayed the operation of new infrastructures funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The Secretary of State added that the oral health program will digitize the dentist voucher, currently with a 67% utilization rate, and introduce a new oral health bulletin and a prosthesis voucher.
During the regular hearing, Ana Povo also assured that the Directorate-General for Health and the Executive Directorate of the SNS are collaborating on the technical standards of the winter plan, which will be published on September 30, with each ULS responsible for preparing its own contingency plan to address increased patient demand.
