The government today announced a 5 year national campaign to reduce the tobacco-using population in Maldives.
The campaign was announced by Health Minister Geela Ali during a press conference held this afternoon at the President's Office in conjunction with World No Tobacco Day, which is marked today.
In addition to Minister Geela, Home Minister Ali Ihusan, Sports Minister Abdulla Rafiu, and Education Minister Dr. Ismail Shafeeu also participated in the press conference.
At the meeting, Geela stated that the main reason the campaign was planned for five years is because it is not something where results can be achieved in a short period. She also noted that when carrying out such a campaign, the participation of the public, government, NGOs, and other relevant authorities will be highly important.
Minister Geela stated that the government has already taken many significant steps to reduce tobacco users, including the ban on vapes and introducing a generational ban, or prohibiting those born after a specific year from using tobacco.
According to statistics from the Health Ministry, one out of every four people in the Maldives is a tobacco user. That accounts for 25 percent of the Maldivian population.
"When looking at the current death rate in our population, 84 percent of people die from non-communicable diseases or from various risk-related issues arising due to tobacco use," Minister Geela said.
Under the campaign, the government has decided to carry out various activities through the education sector, sports and youth sector, as well as NGOs to increase public awareness, and to strengthen the enforcement of laws and regulations.
Education Minister Shafeeu stated at today's press conference that parents highly commended the government's decision to ban vapes and to introduce a generational ban. He also noted that the government made those decisions with strong community participation.
"Therefore, from the side of the Education Ministry, we have now decided to integrate this component (the national anti-tobacco campaign) into the Bingaa Program that we are currently carrying out," he said.
Minister Shafeeu stated that through the campaign, activities will be carried out to explain the dangers of tobacco, the health damage caused by it, and the economic losses faced by families to students in schools, thereby increasing their awareness.
Sports Minister Abdulla Rafiu stated that the national campaign will be an important movement to carry forward anti-tobacco efforts in a sustainable manner.
Minister Rafiu said that special incentives and awards for empowering clubs and associations have been included in the efforts to reduce tobacco users through the campaign. He also stated that a decision has been made to conduct related youth leadership programs, select youth ambassadors, and carry out advocacy programs across the Maldives with youth initiatives.
