Hundreds of cancer patients wait for a dental prosthesis – No



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The pilot program is scheduled to take place in eight public hospitals in Greater Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon for "the gradual introduction of prostheses for oral rehabilitation". The program targets patients who have lost their teeth due to treatments for head and neck cancers.

"At the hospital center of Porto and Gaia / Espinho, no doctor has yet been able to put a dental prosthesis", and there alone "there are more than 100 people waiting," denounces Ana Castro to JN.

This Friday marks the day of the world of cancer of the head and neck.

According to the chairman of the head and neck cancer study group, the problem is "to do what is agreed", especially because the hospitals that must follow each case do not know where to go provide the prostheses or how to do this procedure. "The hospitals have already asked the ministry for clarification, but they do not know it yet," says Ana Castro.

Cancer treatments often require the extraction of patients' teeth or the teeth themselves are spoiled by therapy. Ana Castro believes that it is "urgent" to solve the problem of prostheses to improve the quality of life of patients because they are expensive and patients need support.

However, the cases slip without solution. Like Orlando Monteiro, who tells JN that he is waiting for the promised support.

In response to the newspaper, the Ministry of Health indicates that the average cost of 150 euros for prostheses and an overall annual funding of 75 thousand euros have been calculated. The Ministry explains that the circular that establishes the billing rules for hospitals indicates that this type of procedure will be paid by "reimbursement" of prostheses placed by patients. The department does not confirm, however, whether a prosthesis has been paid since the publication of the order in December 2016.

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