Prevention Programmes
Five disease prevention programmes covered from the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund are carried out in Lithuania – preventive programme of cervical cancer, preventive programme of breast cancer, preventive programme of prostate cancer, preventive programme of colon cancer, and preventive programme of cardiovascular diseases.
In order to get checked up according to the preventive programmes, the person should refer to the general practitioner who assesses the health condition and, if necessary, prescribes tests and refers to a specialist doctor. The persons who have compulsory health insurance may take part in the preventive programmes free of charge if they refer to the medical institution that has a contract with the territorial health insurance fund. Then the patients do not have to pay neither for tests nor for doctor’s work or used materials.
The preventive programmes are intended for the patients of certain age. However, if the person feels unwell yet is not within the certain age group, that person should refer to the general practitioner without delay. The GP will perform the necessary tests and, if necessary, refer the person for consultation to a specialist doctor.
Preventive programmes carried out in Lithuania
| Preventive programme | Carried out since | Intended for | Programme’s tools |
| Programme financing early cervical cancer diagnosis | July 2004 | 25-59-year-old women (inclusive) | Women, aged 25-34 (inclusive), have a cervical cytology smear every 3 years. Women, aged 35-59 (inclusive) have a high-risk cervical papillomavirus (HR HPV) test and a liquid-based cervical cytological smear (if the HR HPV test is positive) every 5 years. Smear results may be followed by a biopsy to objectively confirm or rule out the diagnosis. |
| Programme financing selective mammography regarding breast cancer | October 2005 | 50-69-year-old women (inclusive) | Mammography is performed once in 2 years. Upon receipt of the general practitioner’s referral, it is possible to make advance registration (on arrival or by phone) in the medical institution that has a mammographic device. The examination results are notified by the general practitioner who receives them from the institution evaluating the mammograms. |
| Programme financing early diagnostics of colon cancer | July 2009 | 50-74-year-old men and women (inclusive) | Occult blood test is performed once in 2 years. If the test’s answer is negative, the patient is healthy, if positive – the general practitioner issues the referral to the specialist doctor. Colonoscopy and, if necessary, biopsy, allow confirming or disproving the diagnosis of colon cancer objectively. |
| Programme financing early diagnostics of prostate | January 2006 | 50-69-year-old men (inclusive) and men over 45 if their fathers or brothers had had prostate cancer | The blood test is performed periodically in order to determine the concentration of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in blood. If PSA amount exceeds the norm, the general practitioner issues the referral to urologist, who performs prostate biopsy, if needed. |
| Programme financing selection and prevention tools for persons within the high-risk group of cardiovascular diseases | December 2005 | 40-54-year-old men (inclusive) and 50-64-year-old women (inclusive) | The general practitioner determines the risk factors once in a year and, if necessary, makes an individual plan for prevention of cardiovascular diseases. If the doctor identifies high risk of cardiovascular diseases, the patient is sent to specialised centres for more thorough examinations, or the treatment is prescribed if necessary. It is important to know that the tests of concentration of glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides may be determined, and electrocardiogram and other tests that show whether the person could be attributed to the high-risk group may be performed gratuitously once a year. |
For more information (in Lithuanian), click here.
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