A coalition of healthcare professionals, patients, and industry partners has called for “urgent action” from policymakers to lift the burden of respiratory disease in countries across the World Health Organization (WHO) European region.
The call for action comes after new research showed that the societal and economic cost of respiratory disease in WHO European region countries, calculated in terms of monetised loss of disability-adjusted life years, amounts to over €600bn.
The International Respiratory Coalition (IRC), which is led by the European Respiratory Society (ERS), is specifically asking governments and policymakers in the region to establish “clear and measurable” national respiratory strategies in order to transform care and reduce mortality from respiratory diseases by a third globally by 2030, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Chair of the IRC Operational Committee, professor Guy Joos, said: “At a time when our health services have never been under greater pressure, our economies are trying to bounce back from COVID-19 and prevalence of respiratory conditions is rapidly increasing, it is vital that we do more to improve and save the lives of people living with or at risk of these many diseases.”
The coalition has released a manifesto covering four key areas. The first focuses on preventing respiratory disease by implementing strategies such as increased vaccination coverage rates across all ages and addressing the impacts of climate change and environmental pollution.
Ensuring access to the right treatment at the right time is the second key area, with the IRC proposing increased lung health checks to aid earlier and more accurate diagnosis, improved access to evidence-based therapy, and respiratory guidelines at every level of care.
Action on reducing inequalities, such as through better involvement of community leaders and health networkers, is also included within the manifesto, as well as the prioritisation of research, data, and insight to improve care.
ERS president, professor Carlos Robalo Cordeiro, said: “As a clinician, I know from experience that better action on respiratory conditions can save and improve lives, while also reducing hospitalisations and increasing the resilience and productivity of our health services. But not enough is being done.”