Control and Management of Cardiovascular Disease in Turkey
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2019
Yazarlar: Latife Meral KAYIKÇIOĞLU, Ali Oto
Circulation, Uluslararası, 2019, cilt 141, ss 7-9
DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.119.037606
Özet
urkey's 80 million inhabitants face a growing burden of noncommunicable diseases.Noncommunicable diseases are estimated to account for 86% of total deaths, and nearly 1 in 5 adults dies prematurely. 1 Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are responsible for nearly half (47%) of all deaths.In 2018, 19.6% of deaths were caused by cancers, and 39.7% were caused by CVDs.By 2030, CVD mortality is projected to increase ≈2.3-fold in men and 1.8-fold in women.Turkey is among the countries with the highest CVD mortality in Europe, and Turkish women have the highest overall mortality (Table).[1][2][3] Turkey enacted fundamental reforms to its health system called the Health Transformation Program between 2003 and 2013. 2 The Health Transformation Program improved health insurance coverage and access to healthcare services for all citizens and reduced regional inequalities in access to care.The majority of the population is followed up by family practitioners, and they are free to admit to hospitals or specialists.Most citizens are covered by governmental insurance.All costs of pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical disease management are covered by an obligatory general health insurance.The European standard of a minimum of 3 cardiologists per 100 000 inhabitants was reached in 2014, and the current number of cardiologists exceeds 3000. 2 Since 1990, training in cardiology has been a separate specialization track.The cardiology training period is 5 years.Cardiology training is under the legal authority of Ministry of Health and follows the recommendations of the European Union for Medical Specialists.The Turkish Society of Cardiology plays a pivotal role in the postgraduate education of cardiologists with several continuing medical educational activities, including standardized semiannual courses for cardiology fellows (Cardiology School), as well as meetings organized by working groups.Electronic learning opportunities are also continuously available for improving cardiologists' knowledge, skills, and training experiences.Since 2002, a voluntary National Board Examination has been performed by the independent National Accreditation Council of Cardiology within the Turkish Society of Cardiology. 4 Research is an important priority for cardiology in Turkey.Use of websites and social media is extremely high in accessing information.Governmental institutes and the Turkish Society of Cardiology have many research funding programs.Other funds are available from foundations such as the Heart and Health Foundation of Turkey to support education and research in cardiovascular medicine.Almost 60% to 70% of the cardiovascular research is supported by the government, and <5% of support is received from outside Turkey.CVD prevention is a priority Ministry of Health target, and multiple regulatory efforts are underway to promote healthy lifestyle habits. 2 Turkey has succeeded in setting a national noncommunicable diseases policy and action plan that targets and collects reliable mortality data and risk factor surveys.A Multisectoral