Turkish Ministry of Health's "Prevention and Control Program for Cardiovascular Diseases" is placed in our web site
tkd.org.tr
Dear Colleagues,
As I already announced in my previous letters, our close cooperation and coordinated activities with the Ministry of Health of Turkey led us to finalize the first National Heart Health Policy Document in Europe at the end of 2006, after a hard work of two whole years conducted with the participation of 8 societies and institutions and 101 experts from various fields and institutions.
On December 25th, 2007, during the National Signing Ceremony of the European Heart Health Charter Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Recep Akdag declared that the Ministry developed the strategic plan and action plan based on the National Heart Health Policy. Since that time both of these documents were placed in our web site, in Turkish.
Now I am proud to inform you that the translation of this document into English is made by the Ministry with the title "Prevention and Control Program for Cardiovascular Diseases" and it is available online at our main page as well as the web page of the Ministry.
The minister also revealed in his speech at the ceremony that two new departments were established in the ministerial organization,within the Directorate General Primary Health Care Services, Department for Health Promotion and Department of Chronic and Non-Communicable Diseases where a specific Branch deals with the Cardiovascular Diseases.
Since cardiovascular diseases are the number one killers in all the countries and is responsible for almost half of all the deaths in the world, it is essential to communicate and discuss the studies made, strategies developed and measures taken in all the countries.
Thus, I propose you and your colleagues to discuss the document and inform us about your proposals to further the struggle against these diseases. We will be more than happy to learn your remarks to elaborate our activities for this aim.
I wish this eager collaboration will provide significant reduction in the personal and social burden of cardiovascular diseases in the near future; in our countries and in the world.
Sincerely Yours,
Cetin Erol, MD, FESC, FACC
President, Turkish Society of Cardiology