Health check during Corona pandemic: only every fifth in Lower Saxony uses preventive examinations

Health check during Corona pandemic: only every fifth in Lower Saxony uses preventive examinations

Lower Saxony neglects health check during corona pandemic

Corona pandemic has had a significant impact on the use of health check-ups in Lower Saxony. According to a report by the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ), people have rarely gone to these examinations during the crisis, as the accounting data of the Institute for Health System Research at the Barmer health insurance company show.

in 2022 and 2021 only about one in five (around 20 percent) in Lower Saxony used the health check. In 2020, the start of Corona pandemic, it was just under 13 percent. This is a preventive examination that can take legal insured persons aged 35 and over every three years.

Before the pandemic, the quota was around 25 percent according to Barmer. In 2022, people in Berlin and Saarland (22 percent each) and in Bremen (21 percent) most often carried out the health check. The slightest demand was in Baden-Württemberg (15 percent) and Bavaria (16 percent).

The consequences of this lower use of health check-ups are questionable. These examinations serve the early detection of diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Early treatment can be initiated by regular checks and severe courses can be avoided. Due to the reluctance of the citizens in these investigations, there is a risk that diseases will not be recognized in good time and thus worsen.

Another reason for the lower demand could be the uncertainty and fear of people before infectation with the coronavirus. Many people shy away from going to the doctor or hospital during the pandemic out of fear of infecting themselves with the virus.

Corona pandemic has given the healthcare system with great challenges. It is important that the population continues to pay attention to their health and take regular examinations to avoid long -term consequences of diseases.