Where can I get a CT scan of the lungs for free

Coronavirus pneumonia may not be visible on conventional x-rays. Computed tomography “sees” it perfectly. And now, due to the height of the incidence of coronavirus, this medical service is popular. In private centers, diagnostics are very expensive - around 2000 UAH. But it turns out that in Ukraine there is an opportunity to conduct a CT scan of the lungs completely free of charge. The National Health Service of Ukraine told a step-by-step algorithm of actions on how this can be done.

How to get a free CT scan of your lungs

1. You need to contact your family or health care provider for medical advice. If the doctor sees the need for CT of the organ chest, he writes out an electronic referral for examination. You can get it on your phone. In the e-direction, only the service code and information about the institution and the doctor who created this direction are indicated.

2. Next, you choose a medical facility that provides outpatient care under a contract with the NHSU. The hospital or clinic should provide services under the package "Prevention, diagnosis, observation, treatment and rehabilitation of patients on an outpatient basis." You can find the necessary hospital on the NSZU dashboard https://bit.ly/3DFPTb4 or by calling the contact center of the NSZU by phone: 16-77.

3. The third step - you need to call the appropriate clinic and clarify whether the medical institution has a CT scanner (tomograph) and a doctor who can do a computed tomography. In case of a positive answer, you make an appointment for an examination and come at a certain time for a free CT scan.

If the patient is being treated in a hospital, then all the necessary examinations are included in the appropriate package and services and are carried out immediately in the hospital where he was hospitalized.

As you can see, making a free CT scan is another quest, but in order to save a couple of thousand of the family budget, you can go through it.

We would like to remind you that computed tomography is a very unsafe procedure. Therefore, it is not worth going through it just for safety net or interest. CT scan gives a large radiation load on the body. Ukrainian doctor Denis Surkov even compared her with  exposure during the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima.

Therefore, even having the opportunity to do a free CT scan of the lungs, go for this procedure only when its benefits outweigh the possible risks.

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