24-hour run begins to mark implementation of Generational Tobacco Ban

The 24-hour run to mark the implementation of the Generational Tobacco Ban commenced today.

The run will take place at the Ekuveni Track in Malé, starting at 4:00 PM this afternoon and continuing until 4:00 PM tomorrow afternoon.

According to the amendment made to the Tobacco Control Act last May, the sale of tobacco products will be prohibited to individuals born in or after the year 2007. Consequently, all tobacco product sales, regardless of the buyer's age, must now be preceded by a verification of age.

In the ceremony marking the beginning of the run to implement the Generational Ban in the Maldives, Minister of Health Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim stated that good health is the most valuable blessing an individual can receive. Nazim added that showing gratitude for this blessing means taking care of it and not neglecting it.

"We must always remember that being in good health is the foundation upon which life and living are built," Nazim stated.

He further elaborated that the current government's healthcare policy is to build a healthy individual, a healthy family, and a healthy community.

The Minister emphasized that many of the health issues faced in the Maldives are linked to unhealthy lifestyle habits that expose people to serious diseases. Therefore, preventing the community from adopting such habits, promoting healthy routines among the public, and arranging affairs to facilitate better health outcomes are matters that require utmost attention.

Ms. Paden, the WHO Representative to the Maldives, welcomed the government's measures to protect Maldivians from tobacco. These measures include banning vapes, increasing the duty on tobacco products, and prohibiting their advertisement.

She called for collaboration to make the Maldives a tobacco-free nation and successfully achieve this goal.

Data from the STEPS Survey, released four years ago, indicates that one in every four people in the Maldives uses tobacco. Furthermore, the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey showed that approximately 45 percent of school-aged children use some form of tobacco product.