“5 Minutes for HEALTH” Returns: National Campaign for Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention

For the second consecutive year, the “5 Minutes for HEALTH” campaign offering free screenings through innovative digital technologies will take place, starting in Vratsa on August 14, 2025, and continuing in more than eight other cities across Bulgaria in the coming months.

The initiative is organized by the Digital Health and Innovation Cluster Bulgaria with the support of the Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Air for Health Association, the telemedicine company Hubis, the biopharmaceutical companies Roche Bulgaria, AstraZeneca, and MSD Bulgaria, ISPOR Bulgarian Chapter, and the Regional Health Inspectorate.

Last year, the campaign visited eight cities, attracting hundreds of participants who took advantage of the opportunity to check their key health indicators using innovative, quick, free, and non-invasive technology.

Focus on Awareness and Prevention

The campaign has a dual mission: to raise public awareness about the risks of lung cancer and to provide a practical opportunity for timely prevention. Using a specialized high-tech station, participants can, in just a few minutes, measure their height, weight, body mass index, blood sugar, temperature, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, ECG, heart rate, and lung function (spirometry).

Participants also complete a standardized questionnaire assessing their risk of developing lung cancer. The system analyzes these responses together with the medical measurements to generate a personalized health and risk profile. Results are reviewed on-site by a pulmonologist and can also be sent electronically upon request.

New in 2025 - Access to eHealth

This year, visitors will also have the opportunity to register quickly in the national eHealth system with the assistance of experts from the Regional Health Inspectorate, gaining access to their medical records, prescriptions, referrals, and test results in a single secure electronic health file.

Why Prevention Matters

Lung cancer is the most common and deadliest cancer worldwide. According to Globocan data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2022 there were more than 2.48 million new cases and over 1.8 million deaths globally. Smoking remains the leading risk factor (approximately 80% of cases), followed by air pollution, exposure to radon and asbestos, and chronic lung diseases such as COPD and tuberculosis.

In Bulgaria, 3,966 new cases were diagnosed in 2022, with more than 70% in men. The country’s survival rate is only 8%, compared to the European average of 15%. Lung cancer remains the second most common cancer but the leading cause of cancer death in Bulgaria, with 3,435 deaths in 2022. Alarmingly, over half of Bulgarians cannot name even one symptom of the disease.

These figures highlight the urgent need for prevention, early detection, and raising public awareness - measures that can save lives.

Campaign Calendar

Check the full list of dates and cities we will visit.
If you want more information about each event, visit our Facebook page here.