WHO Urges Countries To Put Lung Health At The Heart Of Primary Healthcare
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
For millions of people struggling with persistent coughs and breathing difficulties, a negative tuberculosis test may not mean the end of the search for answers.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is urging countries to integrate the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases into primary healthcare to help patients get timely and appropriate care.
The call was made at a global meeting on integrated lung health in Nairobi, Kenya, where health advocates were challenged to turn the world’s first lung health resolution into practical action across Africa.
Luis Castro, WHO Director-General’s Special Envoy for Chronic Respiratory Diseases, said healthcare workers must look beyond tuberculosis when patients present with persistent coughing or difficulty breathing, noting that conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) also require attention.
The push follows the adoption of World Health Assembly Resolution WHA78.5 in May 2025, which promotes an integrated approach to lung health through primary healthcare and referral services.
The resolution seeks to connect efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat both communicable and non-communicable respiratory diseases, building on progress in tuberculosis control and tobacco prevention while addressing gaps in the management of chronic lung conditions.
Castro stressed that protecting lung health must extend beyond hospitals and clinics to the environments in which people live and work.
Reducing exposure to household air pollution, protecting workers from harmful dust and improving access to affordable inhalers for people living with asthma are among the measures needed to prevent avoidable illness and deaths.
He also called for stronger collaboration among the health, environment, energy, labour, education and finance sectors, alongside greater involvement of clinicians, researchers and people living with lung diseases.
Participants at the Nairobi meeting are expected to translate the commitments into national roadmaps with clear responsibilities, sustainable financing and measurable targets.
Governments are expected to lead implementation, while development partners support national priorities and efforts to strengthen primary healthcare services.
For millions at risk of respiratory diseases, the ultimate test of the initiative will be whether a person who arrives at a local clinic struggling to breathe can receive the right diagnosis, appropriate treatment and timely referral when necessary.
The message from WHO is clear: lung health must become an integral part of primary healthcare, because every breath matters.
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