Selangor orders seizure of all e-cigarette ads
State public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin said the decision was made during a coordination meeting chaired by her on May 16 to discuss the proposal of banning the sale of electronic cigarettes in Selangor.
"This action is in line with the provisions of the Control of Tobacco Product for Public Health Act 2023 (Act 852), which explicitly prohibits any form of advertising, promotion and sponsorship related to electronic smoking products,' she said in a statement on Tuesday (May 20).
Jamaliah said the meeting also examined various issues related to the use and sale of electronic cigarettes, including enforcement challenges, licensing, legal aspects and monitoring.
"The issue of online sales was also discussed, as it is difficult to control and is often the main channel for teenagers to obtain these products.
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2022 report, it is estimated that nearly 14.9 per cent of male teenagers aged 13 to 17 in Malaysia use electronic cigarettes. This statistic is very worrying and calls for urgent proactive action at the state level,' she said.
Following this, she said the state government, through the Public Health Standing Committee, will hold a follow-up meeting soon to discuss policy options that should be considered before the final proposal is presented at the state executive council meeting for a decision.
Jamaliah said the step is to ensure that every policy introduced by the state government takes into account the impact on public health and future generations.
"The state government also highly welcomes the active role of parents, educational institutions, civil society and relevant agencies at the state and federal levels to ensure that the actions taken are truly effective and sustainable,' she added.- Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
AEDs may be required in new development projects
A guideline is being developed in Selangor to ensure new developments are equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for emergency situations. State public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin said they were looking at other states that had adopted a similar guideline, including Penang. 'If we manage to enforce a clear standard on where AEDs must be available, it becomes easier for people to recognise and locate them wherever they may be. 'We are exploring how it can be implemented in phases,' she said after the handover of an AED unit from Rotary Club of Ara Damansara to Masjid Al-Makmuriah in Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara in Petaling Jaya. Jamaliah said Selangor was gathering feedback from all local councils, as each might have different processes and licensing requirements. The guidelines, she said, would apply to new buildings that fell under relevant categories, such as sports venues, public parks and places of worship. 'There have been many incidents that occur in private sports venues such as pickleball and badminton courts, so we want safety measures like AED installation to be in place. 'Heart attacks remain the leading cause of death in Malaysia. 'Every minute without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or AED assistance reduces survival chances by about 7%.' Stating that ambulances might take five to 10 minutes to arrive at the location of the emergency, she added: 'There needs to be an initiative to help the victim before the ambulance arrives.' Jamaliah thanked some commercial premises, such as malls, that have installed AEDs on their own initiative. An AED is a portable, battery-powered device that delivers an electric shock to a person in cardiac arrest, to resuscitate the heart into beating again. When used in conjunction with CPR, it can significantly increase the chances of survival. The handover ceremony also featured a demonstration of proper usage of AED along with CPR. Jamaliah, who is Bandar Utama assemblyman, said the mosque was an ideal location for the AED as it was a key gathering point for the community. Rotary Club of Ara Damansara president Siraanjivi Ganasan said the handover concluded its 'A Lifesaver in Every Home' programme, which sought to train more Malaysians in CPR and use of AEDs. Masjid Al-Makmuriah chairman Ustaz Mhd Nadzrui Mhd Tajudin said that in the spirit of National Day, it was a reminder that saving lives transcended religion or ethnicity.
Sinar Daily
13 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Malaysian tourists with burn injuries in Bangkok face long recovery, mounting expenses
The two Malaysians, Gan Xiao Zhen, 27, and her boyfriend Ong Yik Leong, 26, were attacked by an unemployed man who allegedly doused them with thinner before setting them alight near a shopping mall on Ratchadamri Road on Aug 7. 15 Aug 2025 08:52pm The families of two Malaysian tourists set ablaze in Bangkok on Aug 7 fear their medical expenses could exceed insurance coverage. - Photo by Bernama BANGKOK - The families of two Malaysian tourists set ablaze here on Aug 7 fear their medical expenses could exceed insurance coverage. Gan Kin In, 80, said he and his wife, Kek Ley Lan, expressed gratitude to the Malaysian and Thai governments, along with other relevant agencies, for their assistance following the incident involving their daughter and her boyfriend. "We have been in Bangkok for the past week. The Malaysian government, through the Embassy, has given us constant support, while the Thai side, through the Tourist Police and the Tourism and Sports Ministry, has provided transportation and accommodation,' he told Bernama on Friday. The two Malaysians, Gan Xiao Zhen, 27, and her boyfriend Ong Yik Leong, 26, were attacked by an unemployed man who allegedly doused them with thinner before setting them alight near a shopping mall on Ratchadamri Road at about 10 pm on Aug 7. However, Kin In said they were worried about the medical expenses, which had already reached around 150,000 baht after just over a week of treatment at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. He said the Thai government had agreed to provide total compensation of up to 550,000 baht per person. "We are worried that the total amount of compensation may not be enough to cover the total medical costs here, as the charges are quite high,' he said. Kin In, a retiree, added that doctors were not optimistic about allowing the victims to be transferred back to Malaysia anytime soon. "Yesterday, Xiao Zhen had a fever and high blood pressure, but she has recovered today. Her condition is now more stable, and if her health permits, doctors will carry out minor skin operations in phases,' he said. In the latest update on Xiao Zhen's condition, Kin In said doctors estimated it would take around two months for her to recover after the skin graft procedures, which would need to be done in stages to minimise pain and discomfort. Meanwhile, Yik Leong, who is being treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Police General Hospital, is also reported to be in a stable condition and is being cared for by his aunt, Ong Siew Kien. - BERNAMA More Like This
Barnama
14 hours ago
- Barnama
MBSB IB Maintains Positive Call On Insurance Sector Despite Healthcare Inflation
-- Photograph for illustrative purposes MBSB IB Maintains Positive Call On Insurance Sector Despite Healthcare Inflation KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- MBSB Investment Bank (MBSB IB) has maintained its 'positive' recommendation on the insurance sector, citing attractive valuations and high dividend yields despite persistent healthcare inflation and delays in healthcare cost-control reforms. In a research note today, the bank said healthcare inflation remains a 'tricky issue to fix' as higher spending on the sector appears inevitable. 'Our primary concern is that if healthcare inflation is still rampant, what will happen at the end of Bank Negara Malaysia's three-year cap on medical insurance premium hikes? 'But there are multiple tailwinds -- a cheap price point, attractive dividend yields, a potential windfall in investment income, and encouraging progress by insurers in addressing the healthcare inflation problem -- making the sector due for a positive re-rating,' it said. The bank noted that companies under its coverage are market leaders, enabling them to withstand challenges better than most. MBSB IB said medical cost pressures are being fuelled by private hospitals rejecting proposed cost freezes, opposing pharmaceutical price controls, and what insurers describe as 'buffet table syndrome', where high claims are linked to increased service use without clear medical need. It also pointed to Malaysia's relatively low preventive healthcare spending and intensifying competition in healthcare tourism from Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. However, the bank highlighted some progress in tackling medical inflation, including the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Drug) Order 2025, which will require mandatory medicine price displays in the private sector by 2026. 'The initiative aims to enable the public to make informed choices by knowing the prices in advance and to encourage competitive medical pricing, although it has faced resistance, with several medical groups filing a judicial review," it said. The bank added that another factor is the decline in active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) raw material prices to pre-pandemic levels, after surging during the pandemic and staying elevated for several years due to logistical constraints, factory closures and increased demand for healthcare products. MBSB IB's top picks are Allianz Malaysia Bhd, with a target price of RM21.59, and Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Keluarga Bhd, with a target price of RM4.59, while LPI Capital Bhd is also rated 'buy'. -- BERNAMA
