Prevention is the most important thing for health

A nationwide "Healthy Life" program has been launched to raise Poles' awareness of health issues. It was initiated by the President of Poland and was developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the National Health Fund, the Ministry of State Assets and the General Insurance Company. The content of the campaign is supported by an expert advisory board of medical and health systems professionals. Rector Zbigniew Gaciong participated in its inauguration.

 “Healthy Life" initiative aims to convince Poles to undergo regular medical check-ups. - Today, we all know very well that there is no other way to achieve this than through the slogan "live healthy." How to live healthily? Well, first of all, through prevention, implementation of the principles of a healthy lifestyle, but also through examinations, i.e. self-control, the ability to check the condition of the body, accessibility to these examinations. Quickly diagnose the onset of disease states so that later they do not require long-term therapy - said President Andrzej Duda, during the inauguration of the project.

- The results of research conducted since the 1970s unambiguously show that the life expectancy is much more determined by the lifestyle than the availability of modern therapy or genetic factors - explains Prof. Zbigniew Gaciong. - An important part of taking care of your health is having preventive examinations. A few years ago, in collaboration with one of the Internet portals, researchers from MUW conducted an Internet survey on the knowledge of preventive examinations, in which 120,000 Internet users participated. They found that 40 percent of them were not doing basic tests. The MUW team then developed a simple algorithm that allowed each participant to be issued an individual health prescription, including a set of necessary tests.

During the inaugural meeting of the "Healthy Life" project, the President also opened a Mobile Health Zone - those willing to participate could take advantage of free specialist examinations and medical consultations. After the inauguration of the action in Warsaw, the Mobile Health Zone will move across Poland. On selected weekends in the summer and autumn in nine Polish cities it will be possible to do free of charge tests - to measure sugar levels, blood pressure, mammography, lung ultrasound, spirometry and EKG.

The event was attended, among others, by Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski, Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin, Deputy Minister of Health Piotr Bromber, President of the National Health Fund Filip Nowak and Andrzej Jaworski - President of PZU, Professor Piotr Czauderna - Chairman of the NRR Health Care Council.

Photo. Marek Borawski/ Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland