Health screenings for women
Women have the right to book a screening appointment at any medical institution, regardless of where they live. When registering for a screening, the medical institution will check your year of birth and the validity of your health insurance. Be sure to bring an identification document.
This usually happens because the reception desk is very busy or there are disruptions in communication lines. We recommend trying again in a few days. You can also try calling the medical institution at its general telephone number, but you can also notify the Health Insurance Fund.
It is not necessary to notify the Health Insurance Fund, but you must definitely notify the population register, because the addresses of women invited for screening tests are taken from the population register. Pursuant to section 391 of the Population Register Act, a person must ensure that their residential address is correct in the population register. The population register must be notified if you move to a new address, as well as if the register contains incorrect data or no data at all.
You can check the accuracy of your residence data on the state portal using the e-services of the population register by selecting the tab for citizens and entering the portal using either an ID card or Mobile-ID.
To enter or change your residence data in the register, you must submit a notice of residence to the rural municipality or city government of your place of residence. You can do this by visiting the local government, sending it by mail or email with a digital signature, or using the population register e-services on the state portal. The notice of residence can also be submitted with a digital signature. Additional information about registering your place of residence can be found on the website of the Ministry of the Interior. Correcting your address over the phone is not possible because the caller cannot be identified over the phone.
If a woman is on the list (this can be checked by calling the Health Insurance Fund at 16363), but has not received the invitation due to a change of residential address or for another reason, if she has lost the invitation, or if the invitation has been damaged, she can also register for the screening test and participate in the study based on an identity document. A repeat invitation will be sent to women who did not participate in the study, using the addresses in the population register. We definitely recommend correcting your data in the population register.
If the registration deadline specified in the invitation (recommended within one month) has passed, but you have not yet registered for the screening test, you can still register throughout the calendar year using an identity document. The Health Insurance Fund will also send a repeat invitation to participate in the study to women who did not participate in the study in November or December of the study year. The repeat invitation will be sent to the address in the population register.
All medical institutions listed on the invitation have a contract to provide preventive tests to women with health insurance. In these cases, the invoice for the test should be submitted to the Health Insurance Fund and you do not have to pay for the test yourself. If you have been charged for a breast or a cervical cancer screening test, please notify the Health Insurance Fund (info [at] tervisekassa.ee (info[at]tervisekassa[dot]ee)). In such cases, be sure you have a receipt proving payment for the service.
The patient will receive the results of a breast cancer screening test in writing within two weeks from the medical institution that performed the test. The method of sending the test results (by mail or email and to which address) is agreed upon between the medical institution and the patient after the test. The test result does not contain sensitive personal data, it only contains information about whether the woman needs further testing or not.
The method of receiving the results of a PAP test will also be agreed upon after the test. Usually, the patient calls at a specific time and on a specific phone number. The test result does not contain sensitive personal data, it only contains information about whether or not the woman needs further testing or when it is recommended to have the next PAP test.
If a screening invitation is sent to your address for a woman who does not live there, we ask that you return the invitation to the Health Insurance Fund, if possible, with a note that the person does not live at that address. The Health Insurance Fund can forward the invitation to them at another address with a recommendation to check their data in the population register and update it if necessary.
The Health Insurance Fund bases its preventive activities on proven medical effectiveness. The incidence of breast cancer is highest among women aged 50–64. This also applies to Estonia, with the peak of incidence being in the 50s and 60s. Mammography is an X-ray examination of the breast, which is used both as a screening method and in clinical diagnostics. The sensitivity of mammography (the likelihood that the test will detect the disease) is higher in women aged 50 and older and lower in women under 50, who typically have denser breast tissue. Breasts are denser before menopause, as well as in women on hormone replacement therapy and in women with a lower body mass index. Mammograms for healthy women aged 40–49 are not more effective in reducing mortality than self-examination or clinical examination. Additionally, the negative aspects of screening can cause harm to health instead of benefit (radiation, psychological stress, unclear test results, invasive additional tests, etc.). Breast examination in healthy women before the age of 40 is not medically justified. In case of problems, women have the option of going for an examination with a referral from their family physician or medical specialist.
If a woman does not have a medical indication for a breast examination (either belonging to a risk group or complaints), payment for the examination by the Health Insurance Fund is not justified (subsection 29 (1) of the Health Insurance Act). A healthy woman can have the examination if she wishes, paying for it herself. The price of paid health care services is set by the medical institution.
Yes – many gynaecologists perform PAP tests outside of screening. You have to book an appointment with your gynaecologist. You can get an appointment much faster with a trained midwife. The Health Insurance Fund will only pay for the screening (PAP test) at those institutions who have a contract with the Health Insurance Fund. If you prefer to have your health checked in a private practice, you will have to pay for the tests performed there yourself. However, be sure to inform your gynaecologist during your visit that you received an invitation from the Health Insurance Fund to participate in the screening so that they will perform the PAP test.