Occupational health care system and its effectiveness in Lithuania.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Care carries out the activities aimed at solving occupational health and safety problems in Lithuania. Occupational health care system in Lithuania consists of three levels: 1) primary occupational health centers in the industry; 2) general practitioners taking care of employees' health; and 3) the State Labor Inspectorate. The second level includes regional occupational medicine centers that are located in the three major cities of Lithuania: Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda. Hygiene investigations of workplaces and prophylaxis of occupational diseases are performed by regional Public Health Center Departments of Occupational Medicine. The third level is provided by the Lithuanian Center of Occupational Medicine in Vilnius and the State Commission of Medical and Social Examination. The complicated cases of occupational diseases are treated in specialized departments of the University clinics. The real situation of work safety is not good. About 600 cases of occupational diseases and over 2500 accidents, including 60 fatal causalities are registered annually.