Free screening for heart-colon cancer as well

I prevent: breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, cardiovascular diseases. These are the 4 flagship screening programs implemented by the Ministry of Health as part of the “Prevent” National Program and include free preventive examinations for insured and uninsured.

The presentation of the integrated National Screening Program “Prolamvano” took place today at a special event, attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The presentation was made by the Ministers of Health Adonis Georgiadis, Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou and the Deputy Minister of Health Irini Agapidakis.

During his speech, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that he is particularly satisfied but also moved that a vision he had for years is becoming a reality.

Prevention for decades has been the poor relative of the health system and yet all scientific data confirms that prevention saves lives, he emphasized.

“The arrogance that it won’t happen to us”

But what prevents us from preventive control? As the Prime Minister said arrogance that will not happen to us but primarily fear and that is what we have to face.

He appealed to the women who received sms for a mammogram as part of the “Fofi Gennimata” program not to neglect the exams.

We have enough work to do, said the Prime Minister, with all the programs related to prevention, but also to hate for public health and to explain the interventions that need to be done and they concern sports, smoking, alcohol, healthy eating and obesity . We can change all that, he concluded.

Ad. Georgiadis: “A disease that is treated from the starting point costs less”

The Minister of Health, Mr. Georgiadis, spoke about a gigantic program of preventive examinations, and about the importance of prevention, saying characteristically that a disease that is treated from the beginning costs less. He shared with the audience his experience of meeting the prime minister’s father, who had told him that he was searching so much with his health that he was finding everything at an early stage and dealing with it better. He added that he also has an annual check-up.

The minister called all the citizens who will receive an SMS for a preventive check to take advantage of the prevention programs

The Minister of Digital Governance Mr. Papastergiou spoke about the digital program that supports these preventive exams. He referred to the great change that took place during the pandemic, where millions of sms were sent for vaccination. As he said, they will also use this for preventive control and the message will reach every corner of Greece.

From the model “we cure diseases, to the model we keep citizens healthy”

For her part, the Deputy Minister of Health, Mrs. Agapidakis, said that with the preventive control programs we are moving from the model of “treating diseases to the model of keeping citizens healthy”

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

Expansion of age limits for participation

The second phase of the program concerns the expansion of the age limits for participation in the program from 50-69 years to 45-74 years, in accordance with the new European guidelines, which our country also incorporates.

The programms

Cervical cancer screening is the second action that concerns 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 21 to 65 years old.

The screening program concerns 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 screening for colon cancer Greece follows the prevention tactics of other European countries and is expected in the first week of June to start sending sms for the distribution of free self tests screening for all citizens aged 50 to 69 years.

The citizens they will be notified either by sms or by immaterial prescription. Positive tests will be followed by a colonoscopy.

Cardiovascular disease screening will begin in the second half of 2024 and will include free screenings to prevent stroke, heart attack and a host of other problems related to the cardiovascular system. It will concern ages from 30 to 70 years.

Mrs. Agapidaki spoke and for other prevention programs prepared by the Ministry of Health, such as for lung cancer and skin cancer.

The moment when 4 breast cancer patients shared their experience with the public, with the common denominator of their stories being prevention, which, as they said, saves lives, was touching.