The South Korean government said Monday it will start providing free examinations of lung health for smokers who have smoked about a pack a day for the past 30 years, as part of the nation’s comprehensive cancer management scheme.

Some 8,000 smokers are expected to benefit from the plan set to be implemented next year.

Cancer patients with low income will also receive up to 2 million won ($1,800) in subsidies over three years upon diagnosis.

These and other plans were released by the Health and Welfare Ministry in the latest round of cancer management measures.

For early diagnosis of lung cancer and to lower the death rate from the disease, low-dose spiral computer tomography will be offered free of charge to those aged 55-74 who have been smoking about one pack, or 20 cigarettes, a day for the past 30 years.

Further details of those eligible for the checkup will be decided upon reviewing the examination capacities of each region’s public and state-run cancer centers and their respective budgets.

Lung cancer has been the country’s biggest cause of death among cancer patients, accounting for 22.8 percent.

Some 23.5 percent of lung cancer patients live for more than five years upon diagnosis, shorter than the average 69.4 percent of all cancer patients. Early diagnosis is therefore imperative, the ministry said.

The ministry said it will also set up regional support centers for some 1.37 million cancer patients nationwide. It will also diversify hospice services so that up to 25 percent of terminal-stage cancer patients would have access by 2020.

Low-income cancer patients will receive state subsidies regardless of their place of diagnosis.

Currently, health insurance subscribers could benefit from the subsidies if they were diagnosed through state-managed examinations.

Those who have received abnormal findings in their general checkup will also be advised to take further tests with state subsidies. Currently, the system is only available for those in risk of stomach and colorectal cancers. It will expand to liver, breast and cervical cancers.

The government will also work to advance an infrastructure to manage cancer such as by constructing a data base for each cancer type to follow the diagnosis, treatment and development of the diseases.

A geographic information system will be established to help figure out the causes and risks related to cancers to be released for public viewing by 2017.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)