Almir Abashev: ‘60% of adult population are subject to screening, and this is a powerful challenge for healthcare’

“A powerful challenge”

The plans for this year include the medical screening of almost 1.3 million Tatarstan citizens. For comparison, last year their number was 876.1 thousand people. This was announced at the round table discussion at the 7th city clinical hospital by the first deputy of healthcare of the republic, Almir Abashev.

“We have a very hard work ahead of us. Not only now, but also in 2025, 2026. Today, 60% of the adult population must undergo medical screening, and this is such a powerful challenge for the healthcare industry," the speaker said.

According to him, polyclinics are going to face such a volume of routine screenings for the first time, while the staff is not increasing.

However, as the medic said, as of June 13, 2024, almost 563 thousand people had already been examined, which is 96% of the current plan and 43% of the annual one.

As for the in-depth medical examination, 193.4 thousand people are to undergo it this year. As of June 13, 128.6 thousand people had already been examined, or 144.5% of the current plan.

Main cause of death in Tatarstan is circulatory diseases

Abashev also cited statistics on the causes of death in Tatarstan. For example, in the republic, as in Russia, the most common fatal problem is diseases of the circulatory system (37.9% of all deaths).

The second most common cause is neoplasms (15.3%). The third place is taken by external causes of death (8.5%), the fourth — diseases of the endocrine system (7.6%), and the fifth — respiratory diseases (7.4%).

As the deputy minister repeatedly repeated during the meeting, it is possible to avoid a fatal outcome due to various ailments with timely medical examination. According to him, thanks to the examination, it is possible to identify diseases in the early stages and cure them.

“Based on the results of the examination, a health group is determined, recommendations are developed individually for each patient, including correction of risk factors, prescribing treatment and referral for further examination outside the scope of medical examination, if appropriate indications are available," he said.

How to undergo a medical screening

According to Abashev, most people do not undergo medical examination due to a lack of proper understanding of its significance. Besides, in his opinion, urban residents, due to the pace of life, may not put their health as a priority or simply think that an examination is difficult.

The speaker noted that in order to popularise medical screening, it is necessary to make the examination procedure as transparent as possible.

“Legally, the employer must provide one working day for medical examination. And during this time, it can be safely underwent. It is only one day, but not everyone knows it," Abashev said.

He added that the simplicity of medical screening lies in the fact that it takes place in a local clinic. That is, a person can come to the clinic to which he or she is attached and immediately take all the necessary tests without waiting in line. Besides, the examination is free of charge.

The deputy minister also informed about the age standards for medical examination. Thus, people between the ages of 18 and 40 need to be screened once every 3 years, and citizens over the age of 40 need to be screened annually.

The speaker was also pleased that people have become more responsible about their health:

“Today, of course, we are trying to ensure that people live longer, and this makes us very happy.”