04-08-2021

Health insurance funds: participation in preventive health checks maintains a positive momentum

Lithuanians are increasingly participating in preventive health programs. The volume of preventive health checks significantly reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic last year has recently reached and even exceeded the pre-pandemic level.

Data available from Health insurance funds show that the number of people covered by compulsory health insurance (CHI) who took part in such health checks has been increasing since January 2021 and in June it exceeded the number of 2019, when no one has even heard of coronavirus.

In June, 18.6 thousand of insured persons participated in the cardiovascular disease prevention program, the number of health checks reached 107% of the comparable 2019 level (this level was 66% in January). In June, 9.5 thousand women received services provided under the breast cancer prevention program – as much as 128% of the comparable 2019 level (45% in January), 9.6 thousand patients – under cervical cancer prevention program, reaching 129% of the comparable 2019 level (57% in January).

Under the early diagnosis program for prostate cancer, 5 thousand men were checked in June, the number of checks reached 101% of the comparable 2019 level (40% in January), under the colon cancer diagnostic program – 18.6 thousand people, accounting for as much as 131 percent of the 2019 level (52% in January).

“Participation in preventive health programs is a good opportunity to receive free checks and tests so that ailments are detected in time and easily cured,” says Jūratė Romaneckienė, Senior Specialist of the Services Management Division of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) under the Ministry of Health.

She reminds that preventive health checks are financed from the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF). “Every year, funding for these programs is increasing –19.7 million euros was allocated for this purpose in 2019, 22 million euros in 2020, and 24.5 million euros in 2021,” says J. Romaneckienė.

People covered by compulsory health insurance can get free health checks by participating in five programs for prevention of cervical, breast, prostate and colon cancer, and cardiovascular disease. According to J. Romaneckienė, it is important to know that if a person is not of the age specified in the program, but has complaints about his/her health, he/she should consult his/her family doctor. Depending on the patient’s age and the state of health, medical history and risk factors, the family doctor will prescribe the necessary tests and, if necessary, issue a referral to a specialist doctor.

A survey of the Lithuanian population conducted on behalf of the HIF last July showed that people recognize the benefits of CHIF-funded disease prevention programs and use them quite actively. The best known were cervical (66% of respondents had heard of it) and breast (65%) cancer prevention programs, 61% of respondents said they had heard of a prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention programs, and 58% of a colon cancer prevention program.

For more information about prevention programs and participation in them click there.  

The NHIF invites you:

Your questions are welcome by email [email protected] or phone: local (8 5) 232 2222, international +370 5 232 2222.