Turkish Health Minister Memişoğlu reports $840 per‑capita health spend, $1,024 tobacco spend; Turkey second in global sm

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu addressed the Dumansız Kampüs Project launch in Istanbul, stating that Turkey’s per‑capita health expenditure is $840 while spending on tobacco reaches $1,024 per person. He highlighted that smoking addiction places Turkey first in the world for lung‑cancer cases and second globally for overall tobacco use.

Memişoğlu noted that 46.1% of Turkish men and 24% of women are smokers, meaning more than one‑third of the population uses tobacco. He warned that smoking causes about 120,000 deaths each year and framed tobacco control as a national, collective effort involving health services and society at large.