18 July
YANGON Region will get more smoke-free zones with nine more townships set to implement an-ti-smoking campaigns, said Dr Than Sein, the Chair of the Peo-ple’s Health Foundation.
He made the remarks at a coordination meeting on ex-panding smoke-free zones in the Yangon Region, which was held yesterday morning at the University of Nursing (Yangon). Officials from health NGOs and relevant departments and town-ship administrators attended the meeting.
“The smoke-free zone pro-ject is being implemented in the Yangon Region. The project aims to cover 33 townships of Yangon Region in five years. The pro-ject was launched in Kyauktada Township in 2017, with the per-mission of the Yangon Region government. Five more down-town townships — Botahtaung, Pazuntaung, Pabetan, Latha, and Lanmadaw — will com-mence smoke-free campaigns,” said Dr Than Sein.
In addition, four more town-ships will carry out smoke-free projects simultaneously, he added. More than 200 places in Kyauktada Township have pro-hibited smoking. Based on the implementation of non-smoking zones in Kyauktada Township, plans will be drawn up for other townships to designate smoke-free zones.
An implementation com-mittee will be formed for the no-smoking campaign. It will include officials from the Yangon City Development Committee, related departments, firemen, police force, Administrative De-partment, Hluttaw representa-tives, and Myanmar Red Cross Society staff. They will raise awareness through anti-smok-ing campaigns in universities, schools, and wards in the respec-tive townships. Besides aware-ness campaigns, pamphlets will be distributed, no-smoking areas will be designated, and certifi-cates of honour will be presented to offices, schools, markets, res-taurants, and hotels.
The Control of Smoking and Consumption of Tobacco Prod-uct Law was enacted in 2006, but compliance with the law in some restaurants and tea-shops has been found to be weak. Those who violate the law can face a fine or a sentence under Section 6 and 7.
“Secondhand smoke has the same harmful chemicals that smokers inhale. It is terrible that nonsmokers suffer diseases owing to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke,” said a doctor. During the project’s implementation, a moni-toring committee and a working analysis committee assigned by the Yangon City Development Committee will conduct sur-prise checks at the designated nosmoking areas, in accordance with the law, every three months. To implement the anti-smoking campaign, US-based Bloomberg Philanthropies has agreed to contribute US$100,000. A 2009 survey on the consumption of tobacco and related products had found that 33.61 per cent of men and 6.13 per cent of women in Myanmar smoked. In 2014, the rate had increased to 41.4 per cent for men and 8.4 per cent for women.—Myint Maung Soe/ GNLM
(Translated by EMM)
