Poland Ends Free Preventive Health Screening Programme for Over-40s, Revamp Under Consideration
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Loading... - Claire James
- 06 Dec 2024
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Poland has officially ended its free preventive health screening initiative, known as the Profilaktyka 40 Plus programme, aimed at individuals over the age of 40. The decision to cancel the programme stems from low participation rates and inadequate monitoring of health outcomes, with reports of some users manipulating the system by overstating health concerns to access more comprehensive tests.
Launched by Poland's Ministry of Health in July 2021, the Profilaktyka 40 Plus programme was designed to encourage health awareness and preventive care following the disruptions in healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative was open to all individuals over 40, with no upper age limit, and aimed to provide tailored health screenings based on participants' self-reported health status.
Despite its good intentions, the programme saw only a small percentage of eligible individuals participating in the screenings. Initially scheduled to conclude in mid-2024, the Ministry of Health decided to extend the programme until the end of 2024, but it has now been confirmed that it will not continue beyond December.
Participants in the programme were required to complete a health questionnaire via the Internet Patient Account (IKP), the mojeIKP mobile app, or through medical facilities. Based on their responses, they were assigned a specific package of tests. However, some individuals discovered they could manipulate their answers to gain access to more extensive testing, such as lipid profiles, rather than just basic cholesterol tests.
Once the questionnaire was completed, an electronic referral for a free test package was generated, allowing participants to undergo tests at nearly 2,500 locations across the country. They could repeat the tests after 12 months without needing to fill out the questionnaire again, as an updated referral would be automatically issued.
The Ministry of Health invested significantly in promoting the programme, with total spending on promotional campaigns amounting to approximately €1.46 million in 2021 and €630,000 in 2022. Additionally, a promotional lottery linked to the programme cost around €1.2 million. The screenings themselves totaled nearly €87.5 million, enabling approximately 3.5 million Poles to participate, with 2.67 million being women. However, the programme lacked a mechanism to track long-term health outcomes, leaving the overall impact on public health uncertain.
In light of the programme's shortcomings, the Ministry of Health is exploring new strategies to enhance preventive healthcare. Plans include expanding the scope of occupational health examinations and improving general practitioners' ability to refer patients for additional diagnostic tests. The focus will shift towards primary prevention, particularly targeting working individuals who have not yet developed serious health conditions.
While the ministry has indicated a desire to revamp preventive health initiatives, it has not yet outlined specific objectives or provided a timeline for implementation, leaving many questions about the future of preventive healthcare efforts in Poland unanswered. As the country seeks to improve health outcomes, the lessons learned from the Profilaktyka 40 Plus programme may inform future strategies to engage the public in proactive health management.
