The Minister of Public Health and Deputy Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and Chair of the Consumer Protection Board, Tewan Liptapallop, have received the World No Tobacco Day Awards 2020 in recognition of their leadership on tobacco control policy in Thailand.
The awards were presented by Dr Daniel Kertesz, WHO Thailand Country Representative, who said Mr Charnvirakul and the Ministry of Public Health have been instrumental in ensuring policy that safeguards the nation from the pernicious effects of tobacco.
In accepting the award, Mr Charnvirakul, stressed the importance of a comprehensive approach to smoking cessation which includes banning e-cigarettes and protecting the youth from the tobacco industry.
Another award was presented to Chair of the Consumer Protection Board since there has been clear policy and legal measures to control e-cigarettes, through the Consumer Protection Board Order on prohibition of sales and service of hookahs, electronic hookahs and electronic cigarettes, smoking materials for hookahs, and liquids for filling electronic hookahs and electronic cigarettes. In addition, the Office of Consumer Protection Board has focused on law enforcement missions by setting up a special task force and collaborating with the Department of Disease Control to arrest, prosecute and eradicate dealers of e-cigarettes, both small and large, leading to confiscation of great value of goods in the past 5 years.
This year’s awards are particularly significant in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Charnvirakul said, as research has shown that the virus primarily attacks the lungs and smoking impairs lung function making it harder for the body to fight off coronaviruses.
He said smoking also increases the risk of transmission, particularly if they share cigarettes or other smoking apparatus.
Mr Charnvirakul added that smokers are more likely to develop severe symptoms and their risk of death is 14% higher than COVID-19 patients who do not smoke.
“As we mark World No Tobacco Day on Sunday, it is worth reminding ourselves of the tragic loss of lives from tobacco use” says Dr Daniel Kertesz, WHO Thailand Country Representative.
“Tobacco is deadly in any form. Tobacco kills up to half of its users. In Thailand more than 50,000 die prematurely each year from smoking and about one million more suffer from life threatening diseases like cancer, heart attack, stroke, diabetes and lung diseases.”
He encourages all smokers to call 1600 the national “quit line” on 1600 (toll free call) to learn more about how to quit tobacco.