Recognizing that the increasing prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases which are both manageable and preventable will

ll have a profound social and economic impact on Turkey, we believe that the following actions are necessary to address this growing health challenge in Turkey.!

Patient Declaration on Chronic Disease Prevention and Management in Turkey

! We call on the Government of Turkey to take actions in national healthcare policies and programs required for prevention, early diagnosis, rehabilitation of chronic diseases, providing special trainings where required which should be considered a health service with the cooperation of all concerned ministries and adequate to meet the needs, assigning high priority for their control and accordingly, and call for increasing the overall healthcare budget and proportionally the respective share allocated to chronic diseases within the healthcare budget. ! We request that full engagement of all stakeholders, particularly the patients themselves whose lives are directly impacted by chronic diseases and NGOs who represent them, should be ensured in discussions related to national action plans to consider prevention, interventions and integrated disease management to fight chronic disease in Turkey. This engagement should include discussions on rehabilitation, consultancy, special trainings and psychological support for patients and their relatives. ! Sharing of information and best practices from around the world, ensuring improved public awareness and education, and innovative partnerships among all stakeholders are key factors for achieving progress in reducing the growth in the burden of chronic diseases. ! We support education and activities aimed at informing the public and raising public awareness, trainings for primary care physicians, and preparing activities targeting public opinion and building opinion on regulatory frameworks. Among others, a curriculum on avoiding chronic disease for students should be created. ! Regarding improvement of community health; We support and encourage both government and private sector initiatives as well as those of other NGOs having a certain effect on healthcare to scale up proven effective interventions, such as health promotion, primary prevention and the development, promotion and enforcement of evidence-based legislation, regulations and fiscal measures to control consumption of tobacco and alcoholic products and reduce consumption of processed/packaged foods as well as sugar, salt and fats, while promoting consumption of healthy food and physical activity. o Among others, we promote regulatory changes in the Ministry of Agriculture Food Codex about packaged and non-packaged foods. For companies and corporations involved in mass production and consumption of food, which are under the supervision of local governments, a framework that promotes and rewards measures in their operational field aimed at tackling chronic diseases should be created.

! We support increased Investment in, and the strengthening of, primary health care to ensure the delivery of a package of preventive and curative care interventions for chronic diseases at the primary care level to ensure access for the poor and vulnerable populations. ! We endorse the development of sustainable mechanisms, including surveillance and measurement of patient satisfaction, to monitor and evaluate the medical and economic consequences of the impact of interventions in a systematic and ongoing manner. ! We promote and support research studies on healthcare services, medical and social research as well as any kind of cooperation and collaboration for prevention and control of chronic diseases. ! We encourage building capacity of the health workforce, both in terms of reaching a sufficient quantity, as well as possessing appropriate qualities such as adequate knowledge, skills and competency, having constructive attitudes and humanitarian values, including those working in public and private sectors and also the community-based health workers, for prevention and control of chronic diseases. ! We request the activities for ensuring public awareness on, and for protection and use of national and international patient rights to be considered in a participative approach. ! We support establishment of a structure which would assess the current stage reached in prevention and management of chronic diseases based on quality, health results and patient satisfaction. ! We support creation of platforms where all stakeholders can act together regarding chronic diseases during implementation of the foregoing items. ! We call for an increased legal support for chronic disease patients who are able and willing to work to help them maintain their jobs. We need to help patients maintain their work and social life. ! We support measures aimed at reducing barriers that inhibit patient access to treatments for chronic diseases. Timely access to medicines, in the right dose and method, which have their effectiveness and safety proved globally is critical to the management and control of chronic diseases.