Meeting raises public awareness of prevention and control of tobacco harms

Vu Dang Minh, Chief of the Office and Deputy Head of the Steering Committee for Tobacco Control of the Ministry of Home Affairs speaks at the meeting. (Photo: https://www.moha.gov.vn/)

Hanoi (VNA) – A meeting in response to the World No Tobacco Day (May 31) themed “Tobacco: A Threat to Our Environment”, and the National No Tobacco Week (from May 25 - May 31) was jointly held by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Hanoi on May 31.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vu Dang Minh, Chief of the Office and Deputy Head of the Steering Committee for Tobacco Control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, underlined the message of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day, saying that it aims to call on countries to seek ways to raise public awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use on the environment.

He said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has taken a series of practical solutions toward a living environment without smokes.  
Minh suggested agencies and units step up communications about the harmful effects of using tobacco products, and provisions of the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control, especially contents directly related to the responsibility of leaders and smokers, and places where smoking is prohibited.

According to the WHO, one of the main causes behind non-communicable diseases such cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease, is smoking, said Associate Professor Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Ministry of Health’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, and Director of the Vietnam Tobacco Control Fund (VNTCF).

He emphasised the need for everyone to join hands in the fight against smoking, for the health of the whole community, and for a greener and cleaner environment.

According to the national tobacco harm prevention and control programme, 40,000 Vietnamese people die each year from tobacco-related diseases. It is estimated that in 2021, the number of Vietnamese people dying from tobacco use exceeded the total number of deaths from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, traffic accidents and suicide./.