The government announced this Friday it would simplify the payment of fees for users with dementia in social sector agencies, saying that the previous chief executive had “failed to regulate” the measure.
According to the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, recognition of a dementia situation in users can now be confirmed by a psychiatrist or neurologist from the social and private sector, when there are no such medical specialists in the National Health Service (SNS). ) in the relevant municipality.
The ministry said in a statement that the previous government had committed to paying additional contributions to day centres, home support services and care homes for users who had been properly certified as having dementia.
“However, it was unable to regulate this measure because it required that dementia be confirmed by a doctor specialized in neurology or psychiatry, necessarily integrated into the SNS,” said the office of Minister Maria do Rosario Palma Ramalho.
Taking into account that there are areas in the country where the State Tax Service does not have doctors in these specialties or where waiting times for appointments are long, “such rules make it difficult to access additional compensation support,” the ministry also said.
In view of this, the government changed the rules published on Thursday in the Diário da República to “speed up and facilitate” the payment of this additional amount, “with the aim of guaranteeing the financial sustainability of the sector and effectively strengthening the partnership.” between the state and the social and solidarity sectors,” the statement said.
In practice, recognition of dementia can now be confirmed not only by a National Health Service doctor specializing in psychiatry or neurology, but also, if there are none in the municipality or the waiting time for an appointment exceeds 60 days, by a doctor of the same specialty in the private or social sector, if he or she has no professional relationship with the agency requesting additional compensation support.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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