In May 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted a landmark resolution on integrated lung health, committing all Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen prevention, early diagnosis, access to treatment, and long-term care for lung diseases. Over the past year, there has been growing attention on how this resolution can be implemented at national level, which is why it is now becoming increasingly relevant for the pulmonary hypertension (PH) community.

👉 Full resolution: https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_R5-en.pdf

While PH is not explicitly mentioned, the implications for the PH community are highly relevant. Many of the challenges faced by people living with PH – including delayed diagnosis, limited awareness, and unequal access to specialised care – are directly addressed by the resolution.

For the PH community, this creates several important opportunities:

• Earlier diagnosis: Increased awareness and stronger primary care systems can help reduce diagnostic delays
• Better referral pathways: Improved knowledge among healthcare professionals may lead to faster referral to expert centres
• Improved access to diagnostics and treatment: Greater focus on access could expand availability of echocardiography, right heart catheterisation, and PH therapies
• More coordinated care: Integrated, multidisciplinary approaches can improve long-term disease management
• Reduced inequalities: Increased attention to underserved regions may help improve access to PH care globally

These priorities closely align with PHA Europe’s Call to Action on Unmet Needs of Patients with PH, presented at the European Parliament, which highlights the need for earlier diagnosis, better referral pathways, improved access to specialised centres, and equitable treatment across countries.

They also reflect the findings of the PVRI Global Patient Survey (PHGPS), which identified similar gaps and resulted in ten calls to action focused on awareness, access, and patient-centred care.

The WHO resolution provides a strong global framework that reinforces these messages. However, its impact will depend on how countries implement it at national level. This makes it an important advocacy tool for the PH community – an opportunity to ensure that PH is included in national lung health strategies and that concrete improvements are made in diagnosis, care, and access to treatment.

For patient organisations, this is a moment to act. The resolution can be used to engage policymakers, strengthen national advocacy efforts, and push for the implementation of the priorities already identified by the PH community.

This is a key opportunity to connect global policy with patient-driven advocacy – and to ensure that people living with PH benefit from the commitments now made at the highest international level.