“Prevent”: Free preventive examinations for insured and uninsured

The National Screening Program “Prevent” was presented today by Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis, the Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou and the Deputy Minister of Health Irini Agapidakis.

These are free screening programs – for insured and uninsured – for breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Ms. Agapidaki, said that with the preventive control programs there is a transition from the model of treating diseases to that of preserving the health of citizens.

As noted in the presentation, this is the largest screening program implemented in the country.

The “x-ray” of action

The beginning was made with the “Fofi Gennimata” program for breast cancer, where to date 300,000 free diagnostic tests have been carried out, with 20,000 positive findings and the goal is to have done so by the end of 2025 1,300,000 free diagnostic tests for women. It includes mammography, ultrasound and clinical examination by a doctor for breast cancer.

The second phase of the program concerns the expansion of age limits participation in the program from 50-69 years to 45-74 years, according to the new European guidelines, which Greece is also adopting.

Cervical cancer screening is the second action concerning both primary and secondary prevention, which includes the “Spyros Doxiadis” Public Health program. The first SMS will start from May 13 and will concern women aged 21 to 65. The screening program affects 2.5 million women.

Cervical cancer is a 100% preventable disease and the first step is vaccination. The Ministry of Health proceeded to extend the free HPV vaccination for girls and boys aged 15-18 until the end of 2025.

About him colon cancer screening Greece follows the prevention tactics of other European countries and it is expected that in the first week of June, the sending of sms for the distribution of free self-screening tests to all citizens between the ages of 50 and 69 will begin. Citizens will be notified either by sms or through an immaterial prescription. Positive tests will be followed by a colonoscopy.

Screening for cardiovascular disease it will start in the second 6 months of 2024 and will include free examinations to prevent stroke, heart attack and many other problems related to the cardiovascular system. It will concern ages from 30 to 70 years.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was also present at the presentation event, who said he was “moved that a vision of years is becoming a reality”.

“Prevention for decades has been the poor relative of the health system and yet all the scientific data confirms that prevention saves lives” he emphasized, noting that very often fear prevents citizens from having a standard examination. He even appealed to the women who received sms for mammography as part of the “Fofi Gennimata” program not to neglect the exams.

“Necessary interventions for alcohol, smoking, obesity”

“We have a lot of work to do with all the programs related to prevention, but also to talk about public health and explain the interventions that need to be done, which are related to sports, smoking, alcohol, healthy eating, obesity . We can change all that.”

The Minister of Health, Mr. Georgiadis, spoke of a “giant program of preventive examinations”, underlining the importance of prevention, typically saying that a disease that is treated at its starting point “costs less”.

The minister invited all citizens who will receive sms for a preventive check to take advantage of the prevention programs

For his part, the Minister of Digital Governance, Mr. Papastergiou, spoke about the digital program that supports these preventive examinations, while he referred to the “great change” that took place during the pandemic, when millions of sms were sent for vaccination.

As he said, this system will also be used for the preventive control program, and the message will reach every corner of Greece.