Not all public medical screenings will be mandatory under the new public health strategy

According to the State Secretary for Health, the government has not yet taken a decision on screening tests, but the development of a screening system for the prevention of chronic diseases is underway.

Under a law passed in June, Minister of the Interior Sándor Pintér may require mandatory screening for some people over 18 from 2025. Gyula Kincses, former president of the Hungarian Medical Chamber (MOK), told ATV, and Péter Takács also said that

colonoscopy and mammography would not be made compulsory.

According to Takács, a new public health strategy has been developed that can be implemented step by step over the next 15 years. There are already national screening programmes, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, but from January a new type of screening will be introduced. This would be a general health check to screen for common diseases. It will start with a risk assessment questionnaire to screen for cardiovascular, cancer and musculoskeletal diseases, and will be accompanied by tests such as an ECG, basic labs, basic physical exams. 

According to Takács, the obligation should not arise for a test that involves an invasive procedure, such as a colonoscopy, or one that involves radiation exposure, such as a mammogram for women. The compulsory requirement would not be imposed on individuals, but on employers, he said.

Cover photo: Portfolio