The breath of peace
The Advocacy Committee of the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS) organized a meeting titled Peace and Lung Health on 1 September 2025, within the framework of the International Day of Peace. Following this meeting, the Committee published a Declaration on Peace and Health that emphasizes, in line with the fundamental ethical principles of medicine, that peace, the right to life, and health constitute an inseparable whole. The declaration was later published as a position statement in the association’s scientific journal Thoracic Research and Practice at the end of January 2026 under the title “Turkish Thoracic Society Declaration on Peace and Health: The Importance of Breathing in a World Without War.”
NO HEALTH WITHOUT PEACE
The TTS Declaration on Peace and Health offers an important perspective by addressing the relationship between peace and health not merely as an ethical principle, but also as a scientific fact and societal necessity. The declaration clearly states that peace is an indispensable prerequisite for the protection of public health. Indeed, wars and armed conflicts are not only events that result in direct injury and death; they also lead to the collapse of health systems, environmental destruction, displacement, poverty, and long-term societal trauma, thereby permanently affecting the health status of populations. For this reason, the emphasis on integrating peace policies with public health strategies represents a strong expression of the increasingly recognized approach in the health field that there can be no health without peace.
“The TTS recognizes peace as a fundamental prerequisite for public health. The society advocates for the integration of peace policies with public health strategies, given their positive impact on the right to life and on overall societal well-being.”
The declaration’s particular attention to lung health is highly meaningful for a professional organization working in the field of respiratory medicine. In war environments, factors such as explosions, chemical substances, intense dust, and air pollution can create severe and lasting impacts on the respiratory system. Likewise, the psychological trauma caused by war may also have indirect but powerful effects on respiratory health. For this reason, the call to incorporate the health effects of war into medical education is not simply an academic recommendation, but also an important step toward strengthening the societal responsibility of health professionals.
“The society will actively and consistently advocate, within scientific platforms and the public sphere, that peace is a public health issue and a prerequisite for health, particularly for lung health.
To enable physicians trained in our country to take a clear stance in favor of peace and health, the Society affirms that the health impacts of war—especially its consequences for the respiratory system, including chemical exposures, dust, air pollution, and psychological trauma and its effects—should be integrated into both pre-specialty and postgraduate medical education programs.”
The declaration also reminds us that those working in the health field carry a social responsibility that goes beyond a purely therapeutic role. Physicians and health professionals have an obligation to identify threats to health within society and to warn against them. In this context, drawing attention to the destructive health consequences of war and advocating for peace is directly linked to the ethical principles of the health professions. The declaration’s recommendation to encourage research activities and to use clinical observations derived from war experiences as educational material also demonstrates that advocacy for peace should be supported by the production of scientific knowledge.
“The society will encourage and support all research initiatives related to peace and lung health. The society will promote activities aimed at raising societal awareness by using real patient experiences and case presentations from current and past war settings as educational materials.”
Finally, the declaration’s emphasis on the inviolability of the right to life represents the point at which ethical principles in health intersect with a human rights perspective. Protecting the right to a healthy life is possible not only through the provision of health services but also through ensuring that people can live in a safe, peaceful, and sustainable environment. For this reason, the Turkish Thoracic Society’s approach of addressing peace as a public health problem may be considered a perspective that broadens the social responsibility of professional organizations in the health field and provides an important example for other scientific institutions as well.
“The right to life is inviolable. Accordingly, the Society declares its opposition to all forms of genocide—particularly in Gaza— and reaffirms its commitment to intensify its efforts to protect the right of all people to a healthy life.”
WAR IS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM
The declaration of TTS reminded me of the statement titled “War is a public health problem” published on 24 January 2018 by the Central Council of the Turkish Medical Association (TMA). The statement emphasized that war harms both nature and human beings and produces irreparable consequences in physical, psychological, social, and environmental terms; it also reminded physicians of their responsibility to defend life and to stand on the side of peace.
Following a criminal complaint by the Ministry of Interior, an investigation was launched. Although TMA leaders had stated that they were ready to give their statements voluntarily, on the morning of 30 January police raided their homes in different cities. Eleven members of the Central Council were detained and taken to Ankara. Their statements were taken on the seventh day, the last day permitted by law, making it clear that the measure was intended as a warning to those critical of the government.
During the detention period and afterwards, TMA leaders and their families experienced an intense period of psychological and physical pressure. Investigations were launched against some members by their universities and by the Ministry of Health, and some contracts were terminated. In response, many international institutions, particularly the World Medical Association and the Standing Committee of European Doctors, expressed support for TMA. After a long judicial process, TMA leaders were sentenced to a total of 20 months of imprisonment, but the decision was appealed. After more than four years of proceedings, the appeals court ruled acquittal on all charges.
This acquittal in fact also represented a legal confirmation of the view expressed by TMA that war is a public health problem.
“As members of a profession that has sworn to keep people alive, we never forget that defending life and protecting the climate of peace is our primary duty.
The way to cope with war is to build and sustain a just, democratic, egalitarian, free, and peaceful life.
No to war, peace now!”
Physicians, on the one hand, must bear witness to the health effects of war and violence - such as injury, disease, environmental destruction, and psychological trauma - document them scientifically, and warn society and decision-makers. On the other hand, they must preserve the continuity of health services by providing care to all patients without discrimination, even under conditions of conflict. In addition, in accordance with the ethical principles of medicine, advocating for peace, human rights, and healthy living conditions, drawing attention to the destructive health consequences of war, and supporting the development of peaceful policies are also important social responsibilities of physicians.
Medicine is not merely a profession; it is a promise made to human life!
