Five free prevention programmes in Lithuania: how to use them

What prevention programmes are

Prevention programmes are a state-funded set of tests for people without symptoms, designed to catch disease (most often cancer or cardiovascular risk) as early as possible, while treatment is most effective. The National Health Insurance Fund (Valstybinė ligonių kasa, VLK — the Lithuanian agency that administers compulsory health insurance) states that five such programmes currently run, funded by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (Privalomojo sveikatos draudimo fondas, PSDF). Three of the five — cervical, breast and colorectal cancer programmes — follow European Union Council recommendations.

The same core condition applies to all five: you must be covered by compulsory health insurance and go to a facility that has a contract with the National Health Insurance Fund. In that case, the doctor's consultation, the test itself, and any materials used are all free of charge.

The five programmes at a glance

The exact conditions, age ranges and sources for all five programmes are collected in the Prevention section.

How to start: everything begins with your family doctor

The National Health Insurance Fund is explicit about the procedure: to get checked under any prevention programme, you first need to contact your family doctor (šeimos gydytojas — the general practitioner who is every insured resident's first point of contact in the Lithuanian health system). The doctor assesses your health, confirms whether you fall within the programme's age range, and, if needed, orders the tests set out in the programme or a referral to a specialist.

• You need to book the family doctor's appointment yourself (at the clinic or through the e-health system)
• The doctor checks your age and, if relevant, previous test results
• For some programmes (for example, a mammogram) the doctor issues a referral, which you then use to book the test yourself at the facility that performs it
• For others (for example, cardiovascular risk assessment) the tests may be done at the same visit or over a few appointments

Important: the programmes target a defined age group, but the National Health Insurance Fund stresses that if you feel unwell and fall outside the relevant age group, you should not wait. Your family doctor can order the necessary tests and, if needed, issue a referral to a specialist regardless of whether you fall within a given programme's age limits.

Why the age limits differ between programmes

Each programme's age range is set based on when the risk of that particular disease rises noticeably in the population, and when the benefit of screening outweighs the possible harm (for example, unnecessary follow-up tests after a false-positive result). That is why the cervical cancer programme starts at age 25 and has two distinct protocols (up to age 34, and from age 35), while the breast cancer programme targets women aged 45–74. The cardiovascular disease programme covers a broader but younger age band — 40 to 60 — because at that stage risk factors (elevated cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure) can still be effectively corrected.

Until September 2026 the prostate cancer programme had an additional condition — men from age 45 whose father or brother had prostate cancer. The version of the programme in force since 1 September 2026 no longer includes it: the programme is for men aged 50 to 69 (inclusive), and if prostate cancer runs in your family, discuss with your family doctor when to start testing. How often the test is repeated has changed at the same time — it now depends on your previous PSA result.

What happens after the test

Each programme has its own next step if a result deviates from what's expected:

• Cervical cancer programme: if the smear or HPV result requires it, a biopsy is performed to confirm or rule out the diagnosis
• Breast cancer programme: the family doctor reports the mammogram results after receiving them from the facility that evaluates the images
• Colorectal cancer programme: a negative faecal occult blood test means no further action is needed; a positive one means the family doctor issues a referral to a specialist, and a colonoscopy (with a biopsy if needed) confirms or rules out the diagnosis
• Prostate cancer programme: if the PSA level is above 3 ng/ml, the family doctor refers the patient to a urologist, who assesses the individual risk; a prostate MRI and a biopsy of areas seen on the MRI may be done
• Cardiovascular disease programme: if very high risk is identified, the doctor refers the patient to specialised centres for further evaluation

In every case, the final interpretation of results and next steps are made by a doctor — a patient should not draw conclusions from a single number or result on their own; discuss it with your doctor.

How these programmes relate to other tests

Prevention programmes cover only a specific, predefined set of tests for a specific age group — they are not a substitute for a full health check-up. If you want to understand what a particular indicator's result means (for example, glucose or cholesterol) and what the normal ranges are, that's covered on the separate indicator pages. And if you're wondering which tests to get for a particular symptom or situation outside of a prevention programme, that's what the "Which tests to get" section is for. A prevention programme and a symptom-driven test are two different paths: one is followed regularly with no complaints, the other when something is already a concern.

It's also worth knowing that the cardiovascular disease programme includes free testing of blood glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels — the same indicators people often order and pay for themselves at private labs. If you're in the 40–60 age group, it's worth checking first whether this same set of tests is already available to you for free through your family doctor.

Common mistakes that stop people from using these programmes

In practice, three situations come up most often: a person doesn't know they qualify for a given programme by age; or they go straight to a specialist or a private lab, bypassing the family doctor, and so lose the chance to use the free option. The third situation is not checking whether the chosen facility has a contract with the National Health Insurance Fund — without one, you may have to pay for the test even if you fall within the age group. Before planning a test, check your age against the table in this article, and then register with your family doctor first, rather than going straight to a diagnostic centre.