KAZAKHSTAN

The Kazakhstan Respiratory Coalition was founded in 2026 by the Breathe Academy Society and the National Society of Respiratory Medicine of Kazakhstan. The coalition aims to bring together clinicians, patients, researchers, public health professionals, healthcare stakeholders and policymakers, and will continue efforts to grow its network of partners dedicated to improving respiratory health and care across Kazakhstan.

Respiratory disease remains an important public health issue in Kazakhstan: diseases of the respiratory system accounted for 10.2% of all deaths in 2025, according to the national Bureau of Statistics.

The coalition’s early priorities include:

• earlier diagnosis and personalised care for COPD;
• improving interstitial lung disease (ILD) care and strengthening the national ILD registry;
• developing structured approaches to bronchiectasis and non-tuberculosis (NTM) pulmonary disease;
• improving care for severe asthma;
• strengthening professional training in respiratory diagnostics;
• and developing pulmonary rehabilitation.

Better data will underpin this work. The coalition plans to strengthen the use of Global Burden of Disease data, national datasets and disease registries, and explore the development of a national respiratory data and analytics hub, potentially building on existing tuberculosis surveillance expertise.

• COPD prevention and early diagnosis – targeted screening, case finding and access to high-quality spirometry.
• Personalised COPD care – improved patient phenotyping and access to advanced therapies where clinically appropriate.
• Interstitial lung disease – earlier referral, multidisciplinary care, stronger registry use and access to modern treatment.
• Bronchiectasis and NTM pulmonary disease – developing clearer care pathways and improving epidemiological data.
• Severe asthma – improving diagnosis, phenotyping and access to appropriate biologic and inhaled therapies.
• Lung cancer screening – participating in the analysis of the pilot lung cancer screening project and supporting the expansion, improvement and optimisation of lung cancer screening in Kazakhstan.
• Professional education and diagnostics – strengthening training in quality-assured spirometry and pulmonary function testing.
• Pulmonary rehabilitation – developing an evidence-based approach aligned with international standards.
• Data, research and analytics – using GBD, national datasets and registries to better understand disease burden and guide clinical and policy action.
• Awareness raising among the general public, with a focus on youth through the Healthy Lungs for Life initiative

1. Breathe Academy Society
2. National Society of Respiratory Medicine of Kazakhstan

The coalition plans to expand its membership to include patients and patient organisations, scientific and public health institutions, other healthcare professionals and relevant policymakers.