At early stages, cancer is treatable: timely diagnosis of oncological diseases enables early detection of the issue, increasing the chances for successful treatment and saving lives. The medical guarantee program allows for free necessary preventive examinations, regardless of residence or registration. This was reported by the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU).
Early diagnosis of the most common cancers is a priority and includes free services for cancer screenings across six packages:
- mammography – X-ray examination of the breast to detect pathological changes;
- hysteroscopy – examination of the uterine cavity and cervical canal to identify intrauterine pathologies early on;
- esophagogastroduodenoscopy – examination of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum for detecting inflammatory processes;
- colonoscopy – examination of the colon for identifying inflammatory processes and tumors;
- cystoscopy – examination of the urethra and bladder with the possibility of taking biopsy samples;
- bronchoscopy – examination of the trachea and bronchi to detect mucosal diseases.
Residents of Kyiv, including internally displaced persons, can access early cancer diagnosis services at any medical institution that has contracts with the NHSU for the respective service packages. To obtain these services, a family or treating doctor issues an electronic referral.
Criteria for undergoing diagnostic tests for prevention also include the age of the patients. For mammography and colonoscopy, this is from 40 years, while for cystoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, hysteroscopy, and bronchoscopy, it is from 50 years.
Internally displaced persons, like other residents, have access to local or general anesthesia, consultations with anesthesiologists, biological material collection, research results descriptions, documentation, and referrals for specialized medical assistance within selected packages.
For complete information on each diagnostic examination, visit the NHSU website at the following link: https://cutt.ly/ieIPVARP.