How uninformed we are about important issues in the Montenegrin public health system is shown by the example that we, Nikšić patients, only at the counter of our Laboratory Diagnostics Service (which works within OB Nikšić) learn that in the Center for Clinical and Laboratory Diagnostics KCCG, which is the only one in Montenegro Gori is doing an analysis of vitamin D in the blood, they don't have a reagent for vitamin D. The term I was interested in runs from April 10 to today, and we don't know how much earlier and until when. We are used to similar shortages of reagents, medicines and a lot of bad things in our healthcare, so it is not my goal to write specifically about that. Probably, some tenders were stolen, and the Health Fund will save on patients who are forced to have the test done at the PZU, which is not unusual for us!
Analysis of the level of vitamin D in the blood in private laboratories in Nikšić costs 26,00 or 27,00 euros, depending on the PZU. In one of the laboratories, whose services I use more often, they informed me that I can refund the bill for their service. In the Regional Unit of the FZO, they kindly confirmed the same to me with an explanation of which documentation is submitted to the Fund. For one patient, i.e. one refund, a full folder of papers is needed, of which the patients already have a specialist's report, an ID reference, an invoice in their name with a fiscal invoice and a copy of the findings from the PZU. For patients outside of Podgorica, it becomes a burden to obtain a "certificate from a health institution that the analysis could not be performed there". As a citizen, as a patient, as a human being, I can't help but wonder why the FZO does not trust our Service for Laboratory Diagnostics, which sends samples for analysis to KCCG and which is in direct constant contact with their Center for Clinical and Laboratory Diagnostics?! Then it would be easy for Nikšić patients to obtain the requested certificate. Why don't our Laboratory and Regional Unit of the FZO, as services/institutions in the same system (and both located under the same roof), exchange information in order to make it easier for patients to go through this and similar procedures?
Probably, the FZO is aware of all the shortages in healthcare, so the question arises why each individual patient has to "run" to KCCG in order to obtain a "confirmation that the analysis could not be done there"? I recently read and wrote about the restrictions on patients, so I am personally inclined to believe that "savings are being made" here as well, assuming that a small number of patients outside of Podgorica will travel to KCCG for confirmation. The profession talks about the importance of vitamin D for the human body. It is used by lighter, heavier and very serious patients, a large number of whom are not physically able to travel to KCCG, except for a specialist or sub-specialist examination, with a special organization with a companion. Many do not have a volunteer who will go to Podgorica for them in order to refund a certain amount of money! It is sad and ugly that in the era of computers, anyone in healthcare "forces" patients to make such unnecessary trips! Patients are not to blame!
Milojka P. PEROVIĆ, Nikšić
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