Make good use of public health examination services to protect your and my health

        Health is the cornerstone of family, work and career. Regular physical examination can check for a happy life. However, many people are deterred by the high cost of physical examination, resulting in missing the golden treatment period. In fact, as long as we make good use of the publicly funded "adult preventive health care service", we can intelligently protect our health!

        The Bureau of health promotion provides free adult preventive health care services for people over the age of 40 every three years. The purpose is to help people find the risk factors of disease as soon as possible, strengthen relevant prevention concepts, and change the life and rest harmful to health, so as to reduce the risk of disease. For the identified patients, assist them to receive treatment and delay the progress of the disease.

        According to the data, at present, more than 1.88 million people in Taiwan have received adult preventive health care services, and the highest utilization rate is the ethnic group aged 60-64 (38.5%), of which women (43.7%) are greater than men (32.9%); The lowest utilization rate was in the population aged 40-44 (23.7%), and women (26.7%) were also higher than men (20.6%). In other words, less than a quarter of men use adult preventive health services, highlighting that men are more likely to ignore the importance of health examination. But in fact, the later the potential risk factors are found or the living habits are adjusted, the more limited the effect of preventing the disease will be and the treatment cost will be relatively increased.

        Adult preventive health care services mainly test the common health problems of the people in Taiwan, including blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipid, renal function, liver function and health consultation. For specific high-risk groups, even those who are over 18 years old can use some health examination services. The following summarizes the content items of publicly funded adult health examination services provided by Bureau of health promotion:

        In addition, the Bureau of health promotion also subsidizes four major cancer screening:

        1、 Colorectal cancer screening: people aged 50 ~ 74 can have fecal occult blood test every two years. If the occult blood reaction is positive, the doctor will arrange for further colonoscopy.

        2、 Breast cancer screening: women aged 45 ~ 69, or women aged 40 ~ 44 who have suffered from breast cancer in their second-class relatives, can have free mammography every two years.

        3、 Cervical cancer screening: women over the age of 30 can have a Pap smear every year. Those who have been negative for three consecutive years will have a Pap smear at least once every three years.

        4、 Oral cancer screening: people over 30 years old who chew betel nut or smoke, or aborigines over 18 years old who have this habit, can have an oral mucosal examination every two years.

        More than 6000 medical institutions in Taiwan provide adult preventive health care services (see the official website of the Bureau of health promotion for the list of medical institutions) https://www.nhi.gov.tw/queryN/Query3.aspx , please check the service time and registration fee before seeing a doctor). If you or your family have met the public fee qualification, please don't hesitate. These free examinations can help you find small physical problems in advance and turn your life around! (source: Ministry of health and welfare, bureau of health promotion)

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