In Lviv, the first results of the city’s “Check-up for Children” programme have been summed up. Over the first two weeks of the initiative, doctors provided 1,116 consultations to children preparing for the new school year. Almost every fourth visit ended with a referral for additional examinations, which underlines the importance of preventive check-ups before school and nursery.
Facilities of the 1st Territorial Medical Association conducted 638 consultations, and a further 478 were carried out in the facilities of the 2nd Territorial Medical Association. The second week of the programme proved particularly active: the number of visits increased from 464 to 652, that is, by almost 40%. The overwhelming majority of patients were schoolchildren — around 85% of all the children who underwent check-ups.
Most often, parents seek consultations with paediatric surgeons and ophthalmologists, as their examinations are a compulsory part of the preventive medical check-up before starting or returning to education. There is also a notable number of appointments with paediatric neurologists.
The city health department stresses that the programme is important not only as a way to obtain a certificate quickly, but also as a tool for the early detection of health problems that may not present with obvious symptoms.
“We can see that parents are actively using the new format of preventive check-ups. This means we have managed to make medical examinations much more accessible and convenient. But the most important thing is not even the number of consultations, but the fact that during these check-ups doctors are identifying abnormalities that require additional attention. This is precisely why preventive medical examinations are carried out — to detect a problem at an early stage, when it can be quickly corrected or treated,” — Marta Matiushko
In the first two weeks of the programme, doctors issued 268 referrals for additional examinations. According to clinicians, children most often require further diagnostics when the check-up reveals disorders that need their diagnosis clarified or further monitoring.
During preventive visits, changes are regularly recorded that could have gone unnoticed by children and their parents — in particular, visual impairments, posture problems and specific features in the development of the musculoskeletal system. Some of these conditions can be effectively corrected, provided that treatment or prevention is started in good time, specialists at the Children’s Diagnostic Centre of St Nicholas Hospital of the First TMA emphasise.
The “Check-up for Children” programme in Lviv will run until 15 September. The participation procedure for parents and children is as follows:
- contact your family doctor or paediatrician;
- obtain an electronic referral;
- on the appointed day, attend one of the medical facilities participating in the campaign;
- have consultations with a paediatric ophthalmologist, neurologist and surgeon without a prior appointment — on a first-come, first-served basis.
The programme operates in eight medical facilities in Lviv. Its aim is to help families complete the compulsory preventive medical check-ups before the start of the school year quickly and without unnecessary queues.