Local services
A new free screening test has been added to the range of tests available at the Health Promotion Centre at 11 Szent Anna Street.
This was announced at a press conference by Deputy Mayor of Debrecen, Diána Széles and Director of the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi), Csaba Papp, on the 13th of January 2025.
Diána Széles said that since September 2023, the Szent Anna Street Health Promotion Centre, located in the city centre, has been waiting for the people of Debrecen. It is a “health house” that helps people with the Debrecen City Card discover their health status.
If somebody needs to take further action, the professionals here can direct them to health care, the health promotion and health staff can provide reliable and authentic advice and information on how to lead a healthy lifestyle, and the centre also offers a range of exercise opportunities for those interested.
On the latter, the Deputy Mayor stressed that the ever-growing programmes of the “Move, Debrecen!” initiative are also based on the needs of the population and the experience gained from the school health screening carried out by the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion in the Pósa Street Centre and the public health screening carried out in Szent Anna Street. So far, more than 3,200 people have participated in various screenings at the centre.
Even at its inception, this program wanted to offer more than the well-known screenings (blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol level measurement, body composition analysis), so the so-called PSA screening aimed explicitly at men was also launched, which provides information about prostate health. Uric acid level measurement was also launched at the centre on the 13th of January, 2025. The screenings are free for Debrecen City Card holders, and the city government covers the costs.
The Deputy Mayor emphasised that free provision of these health and health promotion services is essential for the city’s citizens because the Municipality of Debrecen believes that disease prevention is the basis of a healthier society. People must consider it necessary to participate in screening tests, and it is of great help in developing this awareness that the listed screenings can be used in a health promotion centre that offers a friendlier, more homely environment than classic health institutions. To emphasise the importance of health screenings, the municipality supports awareness-raising programs and initiatives serving the fight against breast cancer or cervical cancer since prevention or early recognition of diseases can save lives.
Diána Széles highlighted that to ensure a smooth service and avoid waiting, it is essential that those applying for screenings at the Szent Anna Street Health Promotion Center have a Debrecen City Card and register for the screening in advance using the Free Programs and Screening Appointments menu item on the homepage of the website available at https://gondoskodovaros.hu/.
Director of the Debrecen Primary Care and Health Development Institute (Daefi), Csaba Papp, said, among other things, that thanks to the support of the local government, they have recently been able to purchase devices for the screenings taking place at the Szent Anna Street Health Promotion Center that can perform measurements in more significant numbers and with greater accuracy than before. ű
Although this screening method is close in efficiency, it is not equivalent to the tests performed in health laboratories. Still, it is also very suitable for participants to use to control their health status, and if a problem should arise, it can be detected in time, and, if necessary, they can start medical treatment.
They have thought a lot about how to expand the existing screenings. As a sedentary lifestyle is prevalent, screening for related diseases was sought. Since uric acid measurement is a critical parameter in the case of kidney disease, diabetes, gout, and problems caused by excessive exercise or an inappropriate diet, it was decided to include this type of screening in the St. Anna Street Health Promotion Centre from the 13th of January 2025. Csaba Papp also mentioned that screening for celiac disease has recently been introduced as a trial. Although this is currently on hiatus, it is planned to make it a regular feature soon.
Csaba Papp also included the so-called sensorimotor examination of young children whose physical movement development is below that appropriate for their age in the screenings carried out at the health promotion centre. To reveal and correct these problems, more than 500 children have participated in the so-called TSMT exercise so far. In the case of children, the detection of the formation of flatfoot and then the clubfoot exercise to correct it are of equal screening value. Csaba Papp also emphasised that the increasingly complex screenings at the Szent Anna Street Health Promotion Center not only point out potential health problems but also assist in solving them and starting on the path towards their solution.
The indoor exercise programs of the “Move, Debrecen!” initiative in community centres and school gyms resumed on the 13th of January. The timeline of these can be found on the website https://gondoskodovaros.hu/ or directly on the website https://mozduljdebrecen.hu/.
Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu
