PETALING JAYA: Tourism minister Tiong King Sing has been urged to coach himself about how cigarette smoking impacts well being.
Former deputy well being minister Dr Lee Boon Chye mentioned the hazards of cigarette smoking, which embrace most cancers and coronary heart illness, had been extensively recorded and have been supported by important proof.
Lee mentioned he was disenchanted by Tiong’s remarks final week during which Tiong had claimed that former well being minister Khairy Jamaluddin had did not show that smoking causes most cancers.
“He ought to learn up. Read a medical textbook and it’ll inform you,” he mentioned. “I’m disenchanted by Tiong’s assertion.”
Tiong’s remark got here amid public dialogue in regards to the proposed “generational endgame” tobacco management invoice which might outlaw smoking amongst these born after 2007.
“The invoice needs to be accepted as a result of that is half and parcel of the management of the epidemic of tobacco abuse,” Lee told eNM.
Lee mentioned that it “doesn’t make sense” for a minister to deal with defending the rights of present people who smoke on the expense of public well being, particularly that of the youthful technology.
“By all means, present people who smoke can go forward (however) we have to defend our kids from being hooked on nicotine,” he mentioned.
Officially often known as the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022, the proposed regulation seeks to ban the use, possession and sale of cigarettes and vape merchandise to these born after 2007.
After Tiong’s comment, Khairy had questioned the tourism minister’s competence.
Reacting to the change, Lee mentioned incompetent ministers have been current in each cupboard. He mentioned when Khairy was well being minister a number of the members of the cupboard then didn’t help the proposed tobacco regulation.
“The invoice would have been handed (then) if not for the shortage of help from his personal colleagues,” mentioned Lee.
Addiction Medicine Association of Malaysia president Dr Steven Chow mentioned the delay in implementing the invoice suggests important issues with the present technique to fight smoking dependancy.
However, he mentioned sure foundational measures needs to be undertaken previous to the implementation of the invoice.
“Countries like New Zealand and Australia spent many years implementing sustainable insurance policies, laws and tobacco hurt discount programmes in preparation for the transfer.
“In Malaysia, we have now but to embark on any significant hurt discount programmes,” he told eNM.
Chow additionally mentioned Malaysia’s efficient opioid dependancy remedy, administered by skilled basic practitioners and household physicians, highlights the worth of those programmes. However, the present invoice lacks help for these healthcare suppliers to proceed in an analogous function, he famous.
Former well being minister Dr S Subramaniam mentioned Malaysia has already carried out a number of tobacco management measures, comparable to prohibiting cigarette ads and limiting gross sales, however urged the necessity for extra aggressive and in depth motion.
“Along that line, GEG is a really inventive means of trying to scale back smoking. The intentions of the invoice are good, and if the complete intentions will be achieved, we would completely eradicate the danger of smoking in our nation,” he mentioned.
However, Subramaniam mentioned that the first problem with the invoice lies in its enforcement, because it creates teams with completely different smoking rights.
“If a sure cohort of individuals born beneath a sure age are usually not allowed to smoke and people above that cohort are, the identification of various cohorts can be left to enforcement officers.
“That is the place the problem could be,” he mentioned.
