Overlooked and under-prioritised: report highlights action needed on chronic respiratory diseases
25 September 2024
The Health Policy Partnership (HPP) has worked with a global steering committee of experts to produce a new report identifying how policymakers can tackle the growing challenge of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) worldwide.
A collection of conditions affecting the airways and other structures of the lungs, CRDs are some of the most common non-communicable diseases globally, impacting over 450 million people. Despite this, the conditions remain overlooked by many decision-makers, being under-prioritised in policy and receiving less research funding than other non-communicable diseases.
The new report, titled Lung health for life: improving care for people with chronic respiratory diseases, follows an infographic published in November 2023 to raise awareness of the impact of CRDs and the need for policy action around the world. The report identifies four major areas of focus for governments, setting out recommendations within these areas to address the key barriers in CRD care and improve the quality of life for people with these conditions. These four areas are:
- Improving population health through primary prevention.
- Facilitating the proactive detection and early diagnosis of CRDs.
- Improving access to, and quality of, CRD care.
- Building strategic and supportive policies for tackling CRDs.
The report also uses promising case studies to demonstrate opportunities for CRD prevention and management to help improve outcomes now and in the future.
CRDs sit at the crossroads of several major challenges facing policymakers, including growing health inequalities, the financial sustainability of health systems and the impact of climate change on lung health.
For more information, please visit the chronic respiratory diseases project page.
