Children, students, pregnant women and pensioners will once again have free dental care starting tomorrow, announced today during a press conference the acting president of the Dental Chamber of Montenegro, Jelena Bulajić.
This was said after they explained that they were under pressure from the Health Insurance Fund to have the practices sign the contract.
She said that even after 17 years, the amount of funds for dentistry has not increased, and that the amount of 5,6 million euros is not enough.
Bulajić said that "Montenegro left dentists to the labor market in 2008."
"Today, after 17 years, the amount of funds is the same and amounts to 5,6 million euros... There is no need to specifically explain the value of the euro 17 years ago and now," Bulajić pointed out.
She especially thanked "Minister of Finance Novica Vuković" and asked the Health Insurance Fund "where the money is."
Doctor Anđelka Duborja said that "what is happening to them is partly because of their colleagues in the system."
"It seems to me that this time we will not be able to fight against the state. No one can do that, not even us. It is very difficult as a business entity to fight for a boycott," said Duborja.
Doctor Todor Tomašević said that these days there is an attempt to shift responsibility onto dentists.
"They are not responsible. The Health Insurance Fund of Montenegro is directly responsible here. In a private and public partnership, we are the contracting party. The public call was not valid, nor clear and specific. It ended on January 24th. The decision on the number of clinics that met the requirements was not made at all," said Tomašević.
He said that undefined deadlines were inappropriate, and added that everyone was ready to sign the contracts.
"We are not the creators of the budget. The Fund requested funds for dentists. They believed that those 5,6 million euros were enough for dentists," said Tomašević, adding that it was inappropriate to make the budget the same "as the one from 2008 and 2016."
He said that neither the Fund nor the Chamber can influence business entities to sign contracts.
"We proposed a model to the Health Insurance Fund. If there had been a will and a willingness, they could have solved the problem that arose in an hour. That model was the fairest for dentists, citizens and the state," he said.
Tomašević called for compromise and a joint solution.
"And let us continue our work... So that the patients are taken care of," he said.
Doctor Marija Čanak Iličković said that the problem "did not start yesterday and has been going on for years."
"They are trying to introduce a new reform and threaten us contractors that things will get worse for us... Many colleagues, especially from smaller towns and municipalities, cannot remain united and not sign the contracts. We are calling on colleagues to send the signed contracts today, because we are being brought before a fait accompli," she said.
According to her, she will not give up the fight.
"We call on chamber members who are contractors to sign their contracts, but not to give up on the fight," said Čanak Iličković.
Bulajić said that starting tomorrow, citizens who have free dental care will "continue where they were until April 1st."
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