People who are over 18 years old can measure, once a year, their blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference, but also examine the skin, oral cavity, lymph nodes, thyroid gland and mammary glands. People over the age of 40 can check their eye pressure every two years for early detection of glaucoma and cholesterol to prevent or keep blood pressure under control. These are free prophylactic exams, IPN reports.
The National Health Insurance Company (CNAM) said that people over 40 years of age and those in the risk group can measure their blood sugar levels annually in order to prevent or keep diabetes under control.
People who have symptoms can take an X-ray of the rib cage. They also can have sputum testing for tuberculosis.
For people in the risk group, the prophylactic microprecipitation test is available, for the detection of sexually transmitted diseases. It is done annually free of charge.
To prevent colorectal cancer, people aged 45 to 70 years and those in the risk group can have a blood-based test every two years. In case of a positive result, they can also do a colonoscopy.
Women between the ages of 25 and 61 can do a Pap smear test every three years, for the early detection of cervical cancer.
"CNAM urges the population to contact the family doctor to periodically perform free prophylactic examinations. These check-ups help to detect health problems early and improve the quality of life. It is better to prevent a disease than to treat it," said CNAM director general Ion Dodon.
Free prophylactic examinations are available to all the people, regardless of whether they are medically insured or not. But it is mandatory to register with the family doctor.
