November focuses on men’s health
Taking preventive care of your health is particularly important during the pandemic. Therefore, health insurance funds invite to remember November as the men’s health awareness month and calls for attention to one of the most dangerous and life-threatening diseases – prostate cancer.
‘Although Covid-19, currently upon us, is truly threatening, we shouldn't forget that there are other diseases that are as dangerous too. The incidence of prostate cancer is rising. It is one of the leading causes of men’s death from cancer in the world. Medicine has long known that early diagnosis can help save a person's health and even life.’ warns Jūratė Romaneckienė, Head Expert of the Services Management Division of the National Health Insurance Fund under the Ministry of Health.
She says that prostate cancer is an insidious disease, showing no symptoms in the onset, but once they do emerge, the disease has already advanced, resulting in a complicated treatment. Early diagnosis makes cancer treatment much easier. In order to ensure early diagnosis, the Health Insurance Fund finances the prostate cancer prevention program. The funds, allocated for prevention programmes, keep increasing every year. This year, prostate cancer prevention programme received 2.3 million Eur from the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF).
This preventive programme applies to men, aged 50–69 (inclusive), but, if the prostate cancer runs in the family (fathers or brothers), the age limit is lowered to 45 years. Men that have health issues, but are under the age, which includes them into the programme, shouldn't hesitate to address their family doctor as well. Upon considering the patient's condition, the doctor will issue a referral for a free examination and, if needed, a referral for an expert consultation.
‘In the nine months of this year alone, an opportunity to check their health under the preventive programme, funded from the CHIF, has been used by more than 53 thousand men – a number equivalent to the population in Marijampolė and Rietavas cities. Since prostate cancer is men’s most common oncological disease both in Lithuania and Europe, we would like to urge men to contact their family doctor and check their health as soon as possible.’ says the expert of health insurance funds.
According to Romaneckienė, there is no need for men to feel uneasy about preventive prostate cancer testing. The examination involves taking a blood sample to test for the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. If the PSA is within the limits, the patient is healthy, while in case of an increase, the family doctor will issue a referral for an expert consultation. A urologist will perform additional tests and, if needed, prescribe treatment.
Health insurance funds are kindly reminding that currently Lithuanian residents with compulsory health insurance can check their health under prostate, colon, cervical and breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease prevention programmes free of charge. Experts encourage the residents to use the opportunity and check their health, at the same time urging health care institutions to be more active in reminding the residents of taking a better care of their health.
More information on disease preventive programmes is available on the website of health insurance funds.
The NHIF invites you:
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Your questions are welcome by email [email protected] or phone: local (8 5) 232 2222, international +370 5 232 2222.
Last updated: 17-01-2022
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