Health Ministry aims for a smoke-free Malaysia by 2040, says Dzulkefly
CYBERJAYA: The Health Ministry (MOH) remains steadfast in its mission to realise a "Malaysia Bebas Rokok" by 2040, said Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He said the vision is achievable through shared commitment and standing firm on policies rooted in public good.
"As we look ahead, the MOH remains steadfast in its mission to realise 'Malaysia Bebas Rokok' by 2040. 15 years down the road...are we able to do it? It's a bold mantra, a bold vision," he said in his officiating speech at the National Tobacco Control Conference 2025, here Saturday (May 31).
The event was held in conjunction with World No Tobacco Day with the theme, "Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Smoking Products".
Dzulkefly said today the people are not only confronting harmful products but confronting a billion-dollar industry that has rebranded addiction via sleek devices, sweet flavours, seductive marketing, aimed squarely at the promising youth.
Highlighting Malaysia's international recognition, Dzulkefly said the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially adopted Malaysia's Lung Health Resolution during the 78th World Health Assembly recently.
He said that was a historic move marking the first-ever global resolution that places lung health at the centre of the world's public health agenda.
Dzulkefly stressed that while policy enforcement is key, it must be complemented with health promotion and community engagement.
He said the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852), in effect since Oct 1, 2024 restricts the marketing and sale of tobacco and vape products, especially to youth.
Citing the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), Dzulkefly said smoking prevalence among adults has declined from 22.4 per cent in 2019 to 19.8 per cent in 2023.
"But as we push one epidemic back, another rises in its place. Vape usage has unfortunately crept up from 4.9 per cent to 5.1 per cent, especially among adolescents.
"The NHMS 2022 revealed something even more alarming - 60,000 teens are current drug users and over 100,000 have experimented with illegal substances like kratom and methamphetamine," he said.
Dzulkefly said as a comprehensive prevention and intervention measure, MOH launched several strategic initiatives including Kotak (Oral Health Without Smoking) programme and school counselor training to strengthen youth prevention.
Other initiatives include strategic partnerships with the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM), the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), the Malaysian Drug Prevention Association (Pemadam), corporate partners such as Maybank, KENVUE, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, as well as collaboration with the National Poison Centre (USM) through its Siri Bebas Rokok programme.
At the event, an official mascot of Malaysia's Lung Health Initiative named Pak Lung was launched.
It represents courage, unity and collective fight to defend the lungs and lives of future generations.
A total of 100 Pak Lung mascots will be placed across the country to drive public awareness, support community outreach and connect the lung health campaign to larger causes like Malayan tiger conservation and eco-tourism. - Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
17 hours ago
- The Star
Health Ministry urges sugary drink tax as consumption soars in Vietnam
HANOI: The Ministry of Health (MoH) has raised concerns over the sharp rise in sugary drink consumption in Vietnam, warning that failure to impose a special consumption tax could come at the cost of public health. In 2023, the average Vietnamese consumed around 66 litres of sugary beverages, equivalent to 18g of sugar per day, or 36 per cent of the World Health Organization (WHO)'s maximum recommended intake for adults. Between 2009 and 2023, sugary drink consumption quadrupled, nearly doubling in the past decade alone. Per capita consumption surged by 350 per cent, from 18.5 to 66.5 litres per year. A 2019 national survey found that nearly 34 per cent of students aged 13–17 drank carbonated beverages at least once a day. The WHO estimates that without stronger controls, sugary drink consumption in Việt Nam could rise by an average of 6.4 per cent annually through 2028, fuelling higher rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The MoH says that taxing sugary beverages is one of the most effective and low-cost interventions to reduce sugar consumption and prevent non-communicable diseases. The WHO recommends a tax that raises retail prices by at least 20 per cent. According to research by the Hanoi University of Public Health, such a tax in Việt Nam could reduce rates of people who are overweight or obese by 2.1 per cent and 1.5 per cent respectively, prevent 80,000 diabetes cases and save nearly VNĐ800 billion (US$30.77 million) in healthcare costs. At a National Assembly session debating amendments to the Law on Special Consumption Tax, Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang said WHO data showed Vietnam was among the countries with the fastest-growing sugary drink consumption. 'Most of the sugar we consume comes from these beverages, driving obesity. WHO recommends a minimum 20 per cent tax. Frankly, we should have acted sooner,' he said. Delegate Le Hoang Anh from Gia Lai Province rejected the proposed 8–10 per cent tax from 2027 as too slow and too weak, arguing it fails to align with the national priority of putting health first. He pointed to countries like Thailand, which introduced a sugary drink tax in 2017, and the Philippines and Malaysia, which now collect billions of dollars annually from similar levies. 'If we don't act today, we will pay tomorrow, in lives lost, higher medical costs and reduced productivity,' he warned. Anh recommended adopting a 10 per cent tax starting in 2026, rising to 20 per cent by 2030, along with an absolute tax based on sugar content, like Thailand's. At least 108 countries have already imposed a special consumption tax on sugary drinks, including six in South-East Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia and Laos. The MoH says this demonstrates that such a tax is feasible and necessary for developing countries like Vietnam. Since 2017, Thailand has imposed a tiered excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages based on their sugar content, rather than a flat percentage. The higher the sugar content, the higher the tax, reaching up to 5 baht ($0.15) per litre for drinks with more than 14 grammes of sugar per 100ml. On top of this, a 14 per cent value-added tax is also applied to the ex-factory price. The tax increases retail prices by approximately 11 to 20 per cent, encouraging manufacturers to reduce sugar content and helping curb sugar-related health risks. In the Philippines, the excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages has been in effect since 2018. It imposes a specific excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, charging 6 pesos ($0.10) per litre for drinks sweetened with sugar or non-caloric sweeteners and 12 pesos per litre for those containing high-fructose corn syrup. This tax has effectively raised retail prices by about 16 to 20 per cent, aiming to curb consumption and tackle health issues like obesity and diabetes. — Vietnam News/ANN
The Star
19 hours ago
- The Star
Indonesia issues warning over Covid-19 surge in Asia
JAKARTA: Indonesia's health ministry has urged healthcare facilities to stay alert and increase surveillance of Covid-19 amid a surge in cases caused by a more transmissible but less deadly Omicron sub-variant in several countries across Asia. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin met with President Prabowo Subianto to discuss the rising number of Covid-19 cases across Asia on Tuesday (June 3). Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said that 'cases are indeed increasing, but the rise is caused by variants that are relatively less deadly'. His statement came after his ministry issued a circular last week to warn healthcare facilities to stay alert after a rising Covid-19 trend in Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, largely driven by the more transmissible but less severe Omicron subvariant JN.1. The circular instructed regional health agencies, hospitals, community health centres (Puskesmas) and other health service facilities across the country to monitor case trends through routine surveillance, report any unusual occurrences and raise public awareness about the need for vigilance. According to the latest data from the Health Ministry on June 3, Indonesia reported seven confirmed cases last week with the positive rate declining to 2.05 per cent from a peak of 3.62 per cent the previous week. Epidemiologist Dicky Budiman of Griffith University in Australia said the warning should be taken seriously by the broader public. 'This is a good measure as an early warning to create awareness,' he told The Jakarta Post on June 3. He said while it would no longer become a pandemic since mass vaccination has built herd immunity among the Indonesian population, he urged people to maintain caution. 'We must maintain the clean and healthy habits that were developed during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as regularly wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining physical distance, adopting a healthy lifestyle and ensuring proper air circulation.' Dr Dicky also suggested that the government heighten its alert systems, especially in vulnerable areas with large elderly populations. Dr Masdalina Pane of the Indonesian Epidemiologists Association (PAEI) predicted that the newest sub-variant JN.1 has likely already entered Indonesia, but the surveillance system has been unable to detect it in real time. 'Unfortunately, it is not easy to identify suspects at ports and airports,' she said, suggesting that the government should focus on travellers from affected countries instead. 'Governments can also implement random rapid diagnostic checks based on certain criteria while considering ethical aspects,' she added. Among the hardest-hit nations in the current wave is Thailand, which reported over 65,000 cases and three deaths in the last week of May, according to The Nation. But Thai Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said on June 2 that the outbreak in the country has already passed its peak and was expected to ease. Hong Kong saw a downward trend in its positive rate from 13.6 per cent in the week of May 11 to 17 to 11.22 per cent in the following week, although its health department still warned that case levels might remain high in upcoming months. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Free Malaysia Today
20 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Letting US-based firm make e-cigarettes in Johor ‘a huge mistake', says expert
Ispire Technology Inc claimed to be the only company fully authorised to manufacture, import, and export nicotine products in Malaysia, and said it could start operations immediately. (LinkedIn pic) PETALING JAYA : A health expert has criticised the move to grant a US-based company licence to manufacture electronic cigarette devices with nicotine-based liquids or gels in Johor, describing it as 'a huge mistake'. Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the green light for Ispire Technology Inc would give the impression that the government endorsed the vape industry. He said this was at odds with its efforts to curb smoking, especially among the youth. 'It is a huge misstep by the government, and now they are in damage control mode,' he told FMT, referring to the health ministry's assurance that nicotine-based vape liquids remain tightly regulated. 'Malaysia aims to become a tobacco-free nation by 2040, but this licence is inconsistent with its goal.' Health think tank CodeBlue recently reported that Ispire Technology, which operates a facility in Senai, Johor, had its interim licence approved last month by both federal and state authorities. The company claimed to be the only one fully authorised to manufacture, import, and export nicotine products in Malaysia, and said it could start operations immediately. The health ministry subsequently said that nicotine-based vape liquids remained tightly regulated under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852), despite their approval for sale in Malaysia. The ministry said these products fell under the category of 'smoking products', under Section 2 of Act 852 which covers any substances used for smoking including nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerol, and triethylene glycol. It also said that the manufacturing licence was issued by the investment, trade and industry ministry through the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, under the Industrial Coordination Act 1975. The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) agreed that granting Ispire Technology a licence would send mixed signals. Fomca CEO T Saravanan said it would give the impression that the product was safe for consumption despite the lack of evidence that vape is a healthier alternative to smoking. He added that public health should not take a back seat to the vape industry. 'If the government is really committed to protecting the younger generation from nicotine addiction, they should bar manufacturers from selling the product in the local market,' he said.
