Clearing doubts about why annual health checkups are essential even if you feel healthy. Highlighting the benefits of body screening to detect silent diseases early and save on long-term medical costs.
Many people believe they are healthy and see no reason to visit a doctor. However, our bodies may be sending unseen warning signals. Annual health checkups are not just for the sick but for those who care about themselves and want to plan their lives wisely. Thairath Online delves into why yearly checkups are important and the risks of skipping them.
An annual health checkup is a preliminary screening performed when no symptoms are present, aimed at assessing overall body health. Its main goal is to identify risks early to enable timely prevention or treatment before diseases progress.
Medically, "feeling healthy" does not mean "disease-free." Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, or early-stage cancers often show no obvious symptoms.
Spending just one day a year visiting a hospital or health center offers more valuable benefits than you might expect, as follows.
Many dangerous diseases act like ticking time bombs. Blood tests or chest X-rays can detect abnormalities early, greatly increasing the chance of a complete cure compared to discovering the illness only after severe symptoms appear.
Preventing or treating diseases at an early stage costs far less than managing advanced illnesses or complications. Spending a few thousand baht on health screening is more cost-effective than paying hundreds of thousands or millions later.
Health check results serve as a “health report card,” showing where to reduce sugar or salt intake or increase exercise, allowing targeted self-care instead of guessing.
Having continuous annual records helps doctors observe bodily changes over time, improving future disease diagnosis accuracy.
The answer is “no” and “it is necessary.” Even athletes or those confident in their self-care must undergo checkups because disease factors include genetics and environment, not just lifestyle.
Dr. Kritakorn Kasornkam from Life Center (Q House Lumpini) says everyone should have annual health checkups to assess risks and prevent serious diseases. Different age groups require different tests—for example, women over 30 should screen for cervical cancer, women over 40 need yearly breast cancer screening, and both men and women over 45 should have a colonoscopy every five years.
Annual health checkups are not wasted money but an investment in your body—your most valuable asset. Don’t wait for pain or illness to force you to see a doctor; by then, it may be too late.