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07-04-2023

The health insurance funds encourage to take preventive care of one’ s health

Iliustracija

By commemorating World Health Day, the health insurance funds call residents to take care of their health and check under disease prevention programmes. Five disease prevention programmes, reimbursed from the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF), are carried out in Lithuania: cervical, breast, prostate, colorectal cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.

More and more residents check their health free of charge under prevention programmes. According to the latest data of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), the number of participants in some programmes has not only returned to but has even exceeded pre-pandemic level. It is estimated that more than 907 thousand of people have participated in prevention programmes last year, it is 25 thousand more than before the coronavirus pandemic and 30 thousand more than in 2021.

“However, it must be acknowledged that prevention programmes in Lithuania still have not reached expected efficiency. For instance, only one of five people of the target group is screened for cervical and prostate cancer for preventive purposes, and only one of four – for breast and colorectal cancer. Only cardiovascular diseases get more attention. Almost every second resident of the target group takes advantage of this programme. Thus, we would like to encourage people to take care of their health and visit their family doctor regularly. He will prescribe tests indicated in prevention programmes and paid for by the CHIF,” - invites Dalia Miniauskienė, the head of Šiauliai Territorial Health Insurance Fund.

The country’s relatively low uptake of disease prevention programmes fails to significantly reduce the rates of morbidity and mortality from cancer and cardiovascular diseases. More than 18 thousand of new cancer cases are diagnosed in Lithuania annually, one third of them could be escaped, and country’s mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases remains one of the highest in Europe.

The European Union has set a target for 90 % participation of the target group in disease prevention programmes. Scientists estimate that achieving high participation rates in country’s screening programmes, serious diseases can be avoided, and having established a disease on time – it can be successfully treated.

In the meetings with residents, specialists of the territorial health insurance funds find out why people do not participate in the screening programmes for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Some people say they don’t have time, they feel healthy, a family doctor does not call them, some of them do not go because they do not want to hear a bad diagnosis. It is also confirmed by annual public opinion surveys, commissioned by the NHIF, which show that 8 of 10 Lithuanian citizens are aware of the possibility to participate in the prevention programmes free of charge, but only half the respondents take advantage of them personally.

Medical specialists have noticed a trend that residents rush to a doctor when they feel symptoms. However, when symptoms occur, it is often too late – a disease is well established, its treatment is tedious and not always successful. Prevention programmes provide an opportunity to prevent a disease before symptoms occur, thus, it is very important to check one’s health on time, while a person still feels well.

Every year, the health insurance funds allocate more money from the CHIF for the implementation of prevention programmes. EUR 34.4 million, i.e., EUR 3.6 million more than the last year, has been earmarked for this year.

(Photo by Freepik)

Šiaulių THIF information  

The NHIF invites you:

Last updated: 09-05-2023

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