Health minister addresses dentists’ conference, agrees with their calls for reform

Czechs may have to pay for their fillings in the future, Health Minister Tomáš Julínek told journalists on Saturday. Addressing the Czech Dentists’ Chamber, Mr Julínek also said that he agreed with dentists’ proposals to make patients pay for their services in cash instead of through insurance companies, but that for now, this was not his top priority. The chamber of dentists’ believes that people would look after their teeth better if they had to pay for dental work directly, which by extension could curb the problem of a lack of dentists in the Czech Republic. But on Saturday, Mr Julínek said that he would get round to drafting such reforms only after he had focused on proposals to privatise several of the country’s state health insurers and university hospitals.

Author: Rosie Johnston