The Ministry of Health has officially announced that smoking will be banned in all health facilities across Timor-Leste to help prevent chronic diseases.
Minister of Health Maria do Ceu Sarmento Pina da Costa said the ban was one of various ways the government was trying to prevent smoking and protect people from harmful cigarette smoke.
“We must stop it and ban smoking at public facilities and not ask children to buy cigarettes and we must stop offering cigarettes to each other at events,” said da Costa at the launch of the tobacco-free zone at the Vera Cruz Health Center in Dili.
She said 6 million people across the world died from smoking-related diseases each year and 600,000 died as a result of passive smoke.
Research conducted by the Ministry of Health (MH) in 2014 on the risk of non-infectious diseases showed that 71% of men and 29% of women aged between 15 and 60 years had a smoking habit.
The 2013 Global Youth Survey showed that the 66% of boys and 24% girl aged between 13 and 15 smoked cigarettes.
“It is important for the government to think about controlling tobacco use [as] many young people are smoking cigarettes and it will harm their health,” she said.
She said smoking would also be banned in other public offices, as well as restaurants and on public transport.
In regards to enforcing the ban, da Costa said the ministry was working with the competent institutions, including local authorities and the national police.
Meanwhile, a World Health Organization (WHO) representative Dr Arun K. Mallik said Timor wasn’t the only country facing a smoking epidemic and that tobacco use was a global public health issue.
According to the data, Timor-Leste has the highest prevalence of tobacco use in the South East Asia region.
Prime Minister Dr Rui Maria de Araujo this year received the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Award for South East Asia region from WHO in recognition of his efforts to combat the epidemic of tobacco use in Timor-Leste.
The awards each year are in recognition of individuals or organizations that have made a significant contribution in the area of tobacco control in their country.
To coincide with World No Tobacco Day last year, Araujo announced a ban on smoking in public places and also introduced a law for tobacco control, which is currently with the President for promulgation.
Meanwhile, National Coordinator for the Tobacco Control Alliance Mateus Lemos Soares congratulated the Prime Minister for the initiative.
He blamed the high rates of smoking among young people on the lack of proper control on tobacco use and circulation from the country’s competent authorities.
