The meeting between the delegation from Bloomberg Philanthropies and representatives of Health Ministry. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A delegation fromBloomberg Philanthropies and organisations joining the charity fund’s initiative to mitigate tobacco use visited Vietnam from October9-12.
The delegation led by Betsy Fuller, SeniorProgramme Manager of Bloomberg Philanthropies’s Public Health Programme, metwith representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Vietnam Tobacco ControlFund, the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the VietnamWomen's Union and related ministries and agencies to continue to raise theefficiency of support from international organisations to tobacco controlactivities in Vietnam.
At a meeting with the delegation on October 9,Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan called on the Bloomberg Philanthropies tocontinue to support Vietnam in implementing the goals of the National Strategy on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control to 2030, and the law on tobacco harm prevention and control, especially the issue of increasingtobacco taxes, preventing the use of preventing the use of e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes, and continuing to help increase capacity for the Vietnam TobaccoControl Fund and workers engaging in tobacco harm prevention and control in Vietnam.
On October 10, the delegation attended a confernce of experts on tobacco harm prevention and control, during which the participants said that activities to prevent and combat tobacco harm areincreasingly promoted in provinces and cities nationwide. Communication work onthe harmful effects of tobacco and building a smoke-free environment isorganised nationwide in diverse forms.
As a result, the rate of tobacco use among menaged from 15 and above decreased from 42.3% in 2020 to 38.9% in 2022. The rateof tobacco use among students aged between 13 and 15 dropped from 2.5% in2014 to 1.9% in 2022.
At meetings with representatives from the women's union and youth union, Betsy Fuller saidVietnam has launched many effective campaigns to prevent and combat the harmfuleffects of tobacco among young people.
She said that to continue to effectivelyprevent smoking among teenagers, Vietnam's cigarette tax rate needs to beadjusted to increase according to recommendations of the World HealthOrganisation.
The delegation highly appreciated the tobaccoharm prevention and control activities implemented by the Vietnam Women's Unionand agreed to continue to provide support, especially those to curb smokingamong adolescents and women./.
