Public responsibility for stomatognathic physiotherapy. Where do we go?

Abstract

Introduction. Studies on the availability of health care services financed from public sources on the basis of a regulatory analysis are characteristic of the legal world. Meanwhile, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals consume these regulations on a daily basis, often in an attempt to understand their impact on their daily work.
Aim of the study. The main aim of the study is to analyze legal system regulations such as the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, the Act on health services financed from public funds, Minister of Health basket regulations in the scope of services dedicated to therapeutic rehabilitation, with particular emphasis on stomatognathic physiotherapy.
Material and methods. The main method used is the historical regulatory analysis, which will allow to identify the legal status and potential omissions, gaps in the financing of services in the field of stomatognathic physiotherapy, taking into account its specificity. The undertaken analysis, which has a systemic and legal nature, require a review of professional literature dedicated to health policy and systemic solutions in the area of rationing access to health services as well as the literature dedicated to stomatognathic physiotherapy.
Results. The process of withdrawal of public responsibility from reimbursement of rehabilitation services in the field of stomatognathic physiotherapy with the simultaneous growing social problem of functional disorders of the stomatognathic system has been observed. It is characteristic that despite constitutional guidelines in this respect, even sensitive groups, i.e. children, the disabled elderly people and even cancer patients after head and neck surgery) are excluded from the possibility of obtaining reimbursed benefits in this respect. At the same time, the social problem of functional disorders of the stomatognathic system is growing.
Conclusion. Expert, scientific and interdisciplinary activities should be undertaken: medical, dental, physiotherapeutic, but also legal and systemic in order to draw the attention of the most important sectoral decision-makers such as: Ministry of Health, Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariffs, National Health Fund, local authorities to take into account the subject of
stomatognathic rehabilitation as an important problem of exclusion in access to services.