Some pensioners have been waiting for dentures to be made at the Dental Clinic of the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) since last year, and the reason for the long waiting lists is the influx of patients from all over the country, an insufficient number of employees, and difficulties in purchasing and delivering materials.
Several elderly patients told "Vijesti" that they have been waiting for a call from the Dental Clinic since the middle of last year, so that they, as pensioners, can receive dentures. They claim that they asked on several occasions, at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, when it would be their turn, but the Dental Clinic told them that they had had a problem with the procurement of materials and a shortage of staff for several months.
The Dental Polyclinic of the Croatian Medical University of Montenegro (KMCG) confirmed to "Vijesti" that there are problems in functioning due to workload, but they also explained that the Department of Dental Prosthetics is the only unit where there are waiting lists.
Insufficient number of doctors and difficulties in obtaining materials
"The Dental Polyclinic of KCCG is the only institution of secondary and tertiary level of dental health care in Montenegro, which is why it suffers a heavy burden, not only from insured persons from Podgorica, but also from all over Montenegro. Since it is the only health institution of this type in our country, and that it provides a wide range of services in the field of dentistry, it is also an institution that, in addition to regular work organized in two shifts, organizes readiness, which ensures health care for insured persons 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In addition to the above, it is the only health institution in Montenegro that provides services to vulnerable patients, that is, persons with disabilities, as well as patients with comorbidities, which means with a very complex health condition," the response reads.
They said that the increase in the number of patients requiring prosthetic restorations was due to an increased influx of patients, an insufficient number of workers, and sporadic difficulties in the procurement and delivery of materials that they could not influence.
However, they claim that an inspection of the Dental Polyclinic's electronic documentation did not reveal any patients waiting longer than seven months.
"Given that this is an older population, we must emphasize that some patients require pre-prosthetic preparation before prosthetic restoration is made. This means that in addition to a satisfactory general health condition, prior preparation of the oral cavity (repair and extraction of teeth, as well as rehabilitation of the gums themselves) is mandatory, which can additionally affect the length of the wait for the final fabrication of the prosthetic restoration," the Dental Polyclinic explains.
They claim that in recent days the Department of Dental Prosthetics has been strengthened with another specialist in that field and that they expect the current waiting list to be reduced to an optimal level as soon as possible.
Interventions under general anesthesia only in Podgorica
The Dental Polyclinic explains that there are no waiting lists in other departments and that they are proud that, thanks to the dedication of the management and staff, as well as the support and understanding of other organizational units of the KCCG and competent state institutions, led by the Ministry of Health, they have provided not only high-quality and professional, but also accessible healthcare to the most vulnerable category of the population from all over Montenegro.
"These are insured persons who need to have their teeth and oral cavity repaired under general anesthesia. These patients no longer have to go outside the borders of Montenegro, as was previously the case, but thanks to the multidisciplinary teamwork and dedication of our employees, they receive quality healthcare services in the shortest possible time. All of the above is proof that, despite all the challenges, we treat insured persons with special care in providing quality and accessible healthcare," the Dental Polyclinic concludes.
Last year, "Vijesti" reported that dental care under general anesthesia for children with developmental disabilities exists only in the KCCG, while the youngest from other municipalities and with urgent oral health problems are in a hopeless situation.
At that time, an initiative was launched to organize this type of dental intervention under general anesthesia in some general hospitals, but there were organizational obstacles. Namely, at the secondary level of health care, within the framework of registered activities, there is no organized dental care.
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