According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the average life expectancy in Türkiye has risen to 78.6 years, with women having a life expectancy of 81.3 years and men, 75.9 years. Tufan Nayir, a public health specialist from the WHO Türkiye Country Office, attributes this increase to health care reforms, improved environmental conditions, greater access to quality care and enhanced health literacy.
Life expectancy at birth is defined as the average number of years a newborn is expected to live given the current mortality risks. In Türkiye, this number has increased, reaching 78.6 years. Nayir explains that life expectancy varies by country due to various factors, including the structure of health services, dietary habits, environmental conditions, living standards and air quality. Türkiye's life expectancy is in line with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and European Union nations, which typically have life expectancies of around 80 years.
Spain and Italy have the highest life expectancy at birth in Europe. This demographic shift is altering population pyramids, as the proportion of elderly people increases. As life expectancy grows, so do the health needs of an aging population. Consequently, health services are adapting to these changing requirements.
Nayir emphasizes the importance of healthy aging, ensuring that individuals lead a high-quality life during their post-retirement years.
In addition, he emphasized the number of non-communicable diseases has risen, impacting healthy aging negatively. These include mental disorders such as anxiety and depression as the fifth chronic condition alongside cancer, heart diseases, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. Risk factors for these diseases have also expanded, with air pollution being recognized as a significant contributor.
Non-communicable chronic diseases are responsible for a significant percentage of global deaths, accounting for 74% of approximately 55 million deaths each year. As a result, these conditions necessitate long-term or lifelong medication. However, focusing on preventive services and encouraging healthy aging can reduce the burden on health care systems and lead to reduced medicine, surgery and treatment costs. Nayir suggests that risk factors, such as maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise, avoiding tobacco and alcohol use, staying well-hydrated, and getting sufficient sleep, must be managed to decrease incidences of those diseases.
In response to these findings, Nayir concludes that a patient-focused health system will be established, resulting in various benefits for the population and health care providers.