ÖGK sends free health check invitations by post

The Austrian Health Insurance Fund, known as ÖGK, will send around 500,000 invitation letters over the coming weeks to people who have not yet had a preventive health check or whose last check was some time ago, ORF reports.

The free examination is available once a year to everyone aged 18 and over who lives in Austria. It can be carried out by any doctor with a preventive-examination contract or at an ÖGK health centre.

The ÖGK says the check helps identify health risks at an early stage and enables possible illnesses to be treated promptly. Insured people can use the Meine ÖGK app to see when their next examination is available and search for a nearby medical practice.

Last year, the examination identified the first indications of a possible illness in around 160,000 people. These included more than 75,000 cases of high blood pressure and almost 43,000 cases of diabetes. More than 30,000 cardiovascular conditions and 27,000 skin abnormalities were also detected.

Women use preventive examinations more often than men, according to the ÖGK. Around 1.2 million people underwent the health check in 2025, 56 percent of them women.

The general check includes laboratory tests and measurements of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, among other checks. Other recommended examinations include screening for bowel cancer from age 45, breast cancer screening for women aged 45 to 74, cervical cancer screening for women aged 18 and over, and prostate cancer screening from age 50.

The ÖGK recommends that people under 40 have the examination every three years and those aged 40 and over every two years. People who do not receive an invitation can also undergo the check if at least 12 months have passed since their last examination.