Contracts with the Health Insurance Fund (FZO) on providing free dental care for citizens have so far been signed by 30 out of a total of 179 dental practices, announced Zdravko Vuksanović, Assistant Director of the FZO, on "Colors of Morning" on TV Vijesti.
He says he believes that this number will be significantly higher by the signing deadline, Monday, April 7, and that children, pregnant women, pensioners and people with disabilities will not suffer.
On the other hand, the Dental Chamber of Montenegro reminds that so far, free dental services have been provided by approximately 180 clinics, and that it is certain that, since there is no agreement, citizens will be left without free dental services in a large part of the country.
"For example, currently no dental practice on the coast, from Herceg Novi to Ulcinj, has shown interest in signing the contract. Which means that the entire Montenegrin coast remains without free dental and health care. This means that citizens from those areas would have to pay for private services or travel to other cities where there are dental practices that have signed the contract," said the acting president of the Dental Chamber, Dr. Jelena Bulajić.
The Dental Chamber reiterates that the main problem is the way dental services are billed. According to them, the Fund bills services at lower prices than agreed upon at the end of the month, which is why dentists end up receiving half the funds they should have.
The Fund, on the other hand, claims that funds are allocated according to budget constraints and that the accounting system has been applied for years. However, they admit that the financing model needs to be improved, and they are waiting for answers to these questions from the Ministry of Finance.
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