TÜRKIYE

The Turkish Respiratory Coalition was established in 2023 led by the Turkish Thoracic Society and the Turkish Respiratory Society, alongside 23 organisations representing lung patients and specialists.

In Türkiye, 8.8 million people live with respiratory diseases, contributing to 198,400 deaths and 5 million healthy life years lost annually, at a societal economic cost of ₺426 billion. Key challenges for respiratory health in the country include limited public awareness of respiratory disease prevention, continued inequalities in healthcare access, delays in timely patient evaluation and diagnosis, and insufficient health informatics.

Although Türkiye has a national strategic plan that includes respiratory, which is implemented via the Ministry of Health, the coalition aims to establish and promote a specific national respiratory strategy that will cover:

• Prevention
• Education of health care providers and patients 
• Early diagnosis
• Accessible treatment
• New models of care 
• Respiratory health research

The coalition’s overarching target is to reduce deaths from lung diseases by a third by 2030, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Its key areas of work in 2026/2027 will cover:

• Development of a national survey questionnaire
• Strengthening coalition and inter-organisational collaboration
• Establishing a partnership with the Ministry of Health
• Securing funding for research projects, including an epidemiological national survey
• Inform the coalitions and members about the work of IRC, promote potential collaborations with other IRC members.

Keep up-to-date with partners on Instagram: @trsolunumkoalisyonu and @turkiyesolunumkoalisyonu

• Awareness activities: The coalition organises activities each year for World Lung Day, on 25 September, as a part of its advocacy efforts to raise awareness for lung health and reduce the burden of respiratory diseases.

• Early diagnosis: The coalition aims to design an epidemiological study screening respiratory symptoms across populations with varying socioeconomic conditions. Findings will serve as a foundational step toward a national epidemiological survey and may also support early diagnosis initiatives for chronic respiratory diseases.

• Clean air and smoke/nicotine-free communities: The coalition advocates for communities’ right to protection from pollution and passive smoke and nicotine exposure. It emphasises the impact of smoking and nicotine use on disease burden and treatment outcomes across all respiratory conditions, and designs and delivers educational activities for both healthcare providers and the general public, offered in online and in-person formats. As part of these efforts, the coalition organises community awareness activities on World Quit Smoking Day (9 February) and World No Tobacco Day (31 May).

Turkish Thoracic Society

Turkish Respiratory Society

Lung Health and Critical Care Society (ASYOD)

Turkish Society of Lung Cancer (UICC)

Pulmonary Vascular Disorders Research Association

Society of Turkish Intensivists

Turkish Society of Thoracic Surgery

Society of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine

The Turkish Pediatric Respiratory Diseases and Cystic Fibrosis Society

Sleep Society

Turkish Sleep Medicine Society

Turkish National Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Lung Patients Solidarity Association

Society of COPD Patients

Pulmonary Hypertension and Scleroderma Patient Association

ALS and Motor Neurone Disease Patient Association

Society of Public Health Professionals

Turkish Association of Family Physicians

Federation of Family Physicians Associations

Cystic Fibrosis Patients Solidarity Association

Turkish Thoracic Radiology Society

Society of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Physiotherapists

Living with Allergy Association