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01-12-2021

Oncological diseases: will invest in both treatment and prevention

Iliustracija

Undoubtedly, most of the funds from the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) are used to treat oncological diseases. The cost of a patient's treatment can range from a few to tens of thousands of euros a year, and in the most complex cases to hundreds of thousands of euros. Experts agree that human life is invaluable, so it is equally important to invest in both cancer treatment and prevention.

For the treatment of cancer - medicines and services for everyone

Health Insurance Funds reimburse patients with oncological diseases covered by the compulsory health insurance, pays for their outpatient and inpatient treatment services, as well as purchases medicines and medical aids (MAs) centrally for hospital treatment.

According to the data of the National Health Insurance Fund under the Ministry of Health (NHIF), in the first half of this year, the average amount of CHIF expenditure per patient for reimbursed anti-cancer drugs was 2,140 euros. Last year – 3,210 euros. Of course, there are various medicines - cheaper and more expensive. For example, for the cost of treating one patient with the most expensive drug, the national patient funds had to pay nearly EUR 42 thousand, calculating the half-yearly average of costs.

“The more medicines and healthcare a patient needs, the more the CHIF budget costs. The price of the treatment of oncological diseases jumps instantly, if active inpatient treatment, day surgery services, long-term hospital treatment, inpatient rehabilitation or transplantation services are necessary”, notes the NHIF Deputy Director Tatjana Golubajeva.

Last year, for example, an average of more than EUR 5,700 in CHIF funding was spent on long-term hospital treatment of one patient using centrally purchased medicines and MAs. This amount increases dramatically if the patient needs a transplantation. Last year, the transplant service alone (excluding medicines and MAs) cost the NHIF almost 59,000 per patient on average.

The expenditures are shocking: 300 million a year

Realizing that a really large number of Lithuanians suffer from oncological diseases, we observe how the annual amount of CHIF expenditures turns into a million.

The generalized calculations of NHIF show that the health insurance funds spent EUR 35 million last year to pay for outpatient cancer treatment services, EUR 93.5 million for stationary services, whereas centrally purchased medicines and MAs have cost almost EUR 27 million. Another EUR 126 million last year was necessary to compensate almost 40 thousand patients for anti-tumor drugs. This adds up to more than EUR 280 million a year in CHIF costs for the treatment of oncology patients. Given that a person can suffer from cancer for many years, it is understood that compensation from the CHIF increases several times accordingly.

„Although advances in medical science have led to better results in the treatment of cancer, it is unfortunate that the disease is often simply inevitable. Exposure to oncological disease affects the quality of life, emotional and psychological condition of both the patient and his/her relatives, and fundamentally changes their lives. Therefore, all possible methods that help and will help to treat oncological diseases as well as to detect them as early as possible become extremely important,” says Ms. Golubajeva.

5 million for innovation and more effective treatment

It was recently announced that the CHIF budget for 2022 provides funding for 17 new services. Most new tests will be compensated for the population in the sphere of the detection and treatment of oncological diseases. So next year, it is planned to fund new diagnostic and treatment methods, more modern procedures and interventions to help patients and doctors fight cancer. For example, prostate artery embolization, electrochemotherapy, liver focal microwave ablation. It is also planned to include compensatory prostate biopsy in magnetic resonance imaging, radioembolization of inoperable malignant foci of the liver, and so on. In total, more than EUR 5 million of CHIF funds are planned to be allocated to finance innovations in the treatment of oncological diseases next year. 

"Investing in more modern treatments is really important. New services allow patients to be treated more effectively, as modern treatments and tests often focus on diagnosing and treating cancer as accurately as possible. For example, prescription drugs are targeted where they are needed, as well as foci of the disease are eradicated in a targeted way, thus in some cases aggressive treatment is prevented. So, if plans to fund new services next year are implemented, better results in cancer treatment can be expected,” says T. Golubajeva.

Early diagnosis is the key to disease management

Both, NHIF specialists and physicians agree that timely prevention can help reduce morbidity and mortality from cancer, as well as catastrophic costs for their treatment. This means that the sooner your doctor diagnoses the disease, the more likely you are to recover. As a result, health insurance funds are constantly encouraging residents to participate in prevention programs that help many people detect cancer in a timely manner and prevent the spread of the disease.

There are five disease prevention programs in Lithuania, four of which are cancer prevention. Their costs are reimbursed by the health insurance funds from the CHIF: cervical, breast, prostate and colon cancers. To check under these programs, you should first consult your family doctor. The tests may also be given to people who are not in the age group of the above programs, but those who experience symptoms or have suspicions. In this case, the patient should also consult a family doctor, who will assess the condition and, if necessary, prescribe tests and refer them to a specialist doctor.

Every year, health insurance funds spend more and more money on cancer prevention programs. This year, EUR 14 million was allocated for this, and EUR 18.6 million is tentatively planned for next year. 

It is reminded that for those who are covered by compulsory health insurance, participation in prevention programs is free of charge if they apply to a medical institution that has a contract with a territorial health insurance fund.

For more information on disease prevention programs, see here.

The NHIF invites you:

Your questions are welcome by email [email protected] or phone: local (8 5) 232 2222, international +370 5 232 222

Last updated: 17-01-2022

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