Of Irene Agapidakis

In life, there are times when a decision can determine everything. An exam, an appointment, an effect that brings redemption. Prevention is not just a word – it is hope to prevent the inevitable, to protect yourself and those you love.

In Greece, the National Prevention Program “PRESSO” proves daily the power of early detection of the disease. To date, 3.5 million of our fellow citizens of a total of 6 million unique beneficiaries -that is, half of the half, have already made the most important gift in their lives: the gift of prevention.

Behind the numbers hide stories. At 812,000 digital mammograms performedit wasn’t just images on a screen – it was anxiety, relief, the emotion of thousands of women. Of these exams, 51,054 women were informed in time that there were findings that had to be addressed. 51.054 families saved by the nightmare of late diagnosis.

Equally shocking is the response to cervical cancer tests and other gynecological diseases. 414.611 Women did a test pap, HPV DNA test and gynecological tests. In thousands of cases the next step had to be taken: 5,813 colposcopies and biopsies. Think about how many lives a simple exam was protected.

Prevention touches all of us. 837.910 Self -Release Checks gave citizens the power to control their health on their own. So far, 28,348 colonoscopies and 10,751 biopsies have been performed in the framework of the colon prevention program. These exams allowed hundreds of our fellow citizens to control the disease in a timely manner proving in practice that when you catch up, everything can change.

Correspondingly, 1,327,737 our fellow citizens have already done their cardiology by making themselves a valuable gift of care. Among them, 19,368 checks on coronary heart disease and 4,251 ischemia exams protected thousands of people from sudden heart attacks that could be fatal.

Every time a man enters an exam room, he is one step ahead of the disease. It takes a step towards confidence, tranquility, the future. This program is not just a state initiative. It is a collective decision to change mentality. Do not wait for the first symptoms to seek help. To see prevention as it really is, as an act of love for ourselves and power.

The experience of the National Prevention Program “PROFEST” reminds us that Health is not given. That exams are not a waste of time, but a valuable acquis. Every exam is a message: I care about me, my family, for life.

Today, more than ever, it is worth talking openly about prevention, supporting those who hesitate and remember: cancer, heart disease, serious illnesses do not expect. They do not discriminate. But we have the advantage of knowledge and timely action.

The National Prevention Program is not just a program, but a commitment to ourselves, that we can change our fate when we have the courage to look it in the eyes.

* Irene Agapidakis is Deputy Minister of Health