Better noncommunicable disease outcomes: challenges and opportunities for health systems. Turkey Country Assessment (2014)

2014

Like many countries, Turkey is facing a growing noncommunicable disease (NCD) disease burden. This report takes stock of Turkey's achievements and challenges on how to accelerate improvement in NCD outcomes. Turkey has already made impressive progress to implement many recommended core population interventions for NCDs. Efforts have been most significant in the area of tobacco control.

Challenges include implementation of the already passed alcohol policy and development of a comprehensive and pragmatic approach to addressing obesity. In terms of core individual services, Turkey has made great strides to improve access to quality health care services at all levels, with well-documented impact on maternal and child health outcomes. Nevertheless, challenges remain in terms of integrating timely detection and continuous management of cardiovascular disease conditions, diabetes and cancer into family medicine.

The report examines these issues in depth and concludes with policy recommendations in these areas to contribute towards addressing Turkey's next generation health challenge.