Hungary will hold a set of targeted screening programs to draw public attention to these preventative measures, Minister of State for Health Miklós Szócska said on Saturday at a screening event in Budapest’s 18th district. Mr. Szócska said the first such screening will be the “Night of screenings” on 25 April, when many screening locations will be open until 10 p.m. or midnight, while another 35 private screening facilities will also be open until at least 10 p.m.
The Minster of State said this free screening will be for women aged 45 to 65 and mailed notices will have a different format and colour than usual, also detailing the screening procedure itself. The leaflet will also contain instructions on how to perform self-examinations.
The rolling campaigns will encompass the entire country, one county at a time, with each campaign lasting for one month. Szócska said the Government has also initiated a change in the Labour Code so that screenings can be preformed during working time, but the final legislative change will be implemented by the next Parliament – Hungary holds general elections on 6 April.
Mr. Szócska said the campaign’s main goal was to increase the screening ratio of the targeted group to at least 50 percent from the current 40 percent. He also said that from this autumn, girls aged 12 to 13 can request free HPV vaccines and the pilot program within which health visitors perform cervical screenings in localities under 5,000 inhabitants will become national.
(Ministry of Human Resources)
