For health professionals

The legislative framework of the Cervical Cancer Screening Programme is given by the Decree of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic No. 70/2012 Coll. on preventive examinations. The system of organisation and management of this screening programme, the conditions for cytology laboratories, the principles of performing procedures and the overall functioning of the programme are laid down in the document Criteria and conditions of the cervical cancer screening programme in the Czech Republic, published in the Bulletin of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic No. 7/2007 and its modification published in the Bulletin of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic No. 6/2021. All legislative and methodological documents related to cervical cancer screening are available in the section Legislation and methodological guidelines.

Cervical cancer screening is part of the Recommendation of the Council of the European Union of 2 December 2003 on cancer screening. The EU Council recommends the collection of data on preventive examinations, follow-up diagnostic procedures and final diagnoses. On the basis of these data, the screening process should be monitored and the results should be made available to professionals and the general public. Detailed guidelines for the implementation of screening programmes are contained in documents issued by the European Commission. The data collection in the Czech cervical cancer screening programme is set up in accordance with these European recommendations and enables effective monitoring of the quality and results of the programme.

Currently, the programme is run in gynaecological clinics and samples taken during the preventive check-up are analysed in dozens of accredited screening laboratories. The course of the programme, compliance with the established rules and its professional development are guaranteed in the Czech Republic by the Commission for the Cervical Cancer Screening Programme, which is an advisory body of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic.