More occupational health examinations

Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna admitted during a meeting with journalists on Wednesday that the Prophylaxis 40 Plus program had not been a success due to low interest. Therefore, she said, she made the final decision to extend it. The Health Ministry plans, after the program ends, to increase the number of examinations provided as part of occupational medicine. - We are already discussing this with experts from the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lodz and the NFZ," Izabela Leszczyna announced, declaring that she would like one of the tests to be included in the list to be liquid cytology. AOTMiT is currently working on the valuation of this test.

- Unfortunately, despite a screening program that has been going on for years, we still have not dealt with cervical cancer. The HPV vaccination program, which can make a difference, is the future. That's why we see the need for changes that will make us diagnose more patients in the early stages of the disease," Leszczyna explained, while admitting that she is not sure if it will be possible to introduce liquid cytology into occupational medicine right away, due to costs. - We have limited resources, I can't expand the basket of benefits at will. But I have this goal to actually take a step, or maybe even three steps forward in prevention, so that it finally brings real results," she explained.

The need for better use of occupational medicine for preventive examinations of people of working age has been discussed for many years. Experts at successive health congresses point out that for the population of 25-50 (and sometimes more), the occupational physician is very often the only specialist that an adult citizen, especially of the male sex, has contact with. And that is why the panel of examinations with which the issuance of a certificate of fitness for work is preceded should be much broader and should also take into account cardiovascular and oncological diseases.

However, there is a concern that employees will be afraid of such examinations, specifically that their employer will find out about their possible health problems. Leszczyna stressed that there is no such danger. - The employer will get, as at the moment, confirmation of whether a person is fit for work, that is, nothing more than the information he receives today as part of periodic examinations. All that we want to introduce additionally to occupational medicine will involve information for the patient and will not have any impact on his or her admission to work, the minister explained.