The Ha Tinh Health Department recommends that in order to effectively prevent and combat the harmful effects of tobacco, the cooperation of all levels, sectors and the entire community is needed. In particular, the work of disseminating the harmful effects of tobacco products must continue to be carried out more strongly.
World No Tobacco Day (May 31) 2023 was launched by the World Health Organization with the theme "We need food, not tobacco" to call on countries to promote activities to raise public awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco on health, economy , environment, food security and nutrition; mention the link between tobacco use, cultivation and poverty; call for quitting smoking to increase spending on food... |
In order to effectively implement the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention (PCTH), in recent times, the Department of Health has issued many documents to disseminate and implement according to the management field. Many forms of propaganda and dissemination have been applied by the health sector such as: indirect communication on mass media; direct communication in the community; integrated communication at meetings, conferences, competitions, rallies, and agitations, etc.
The Department of Health organizes training on tobacco harm prevention for staff working in health communication andeducation .
Doctor Nguyen Hong Phuc - Secretary of the Provincial Tobacco Control Fund Management Board said: “Along with direct communication, the health sector has also coordinated with schools to educate about the harmful effects of tobacco, integrating tobacco control education content into schools. Training for teachers of high schools and junior high schools in the area and giving talks on the harmful effects of tobacco, smoke-free environments, and the Tobacco Control Law during flag-raising ceremonies and breaks; bringing tobacco control activities into extracurricular hours. This is one of the effective solutions to raise awareness among students about the dangers of tobacco, thereby avoiding exposure to tobacco smoke.”
The Department of Health has also coordinated with localities to organize training on the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control, building a smoke-free environment for officials, civil servants and public employees at all levels. From 2019 to present, the whole province has organized 114 propaganda sessions on the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control with the participation of nearly 10,000 officials and people. Many integrated communication sessions, rallies, extracurricular activities... on the harmful effects of tobacco, smoking cessation, community responsibility in tobacco harm prevention and control... have attracted nearly 300,000 participants.
Anti-tobacco billboards are set up in educational institutions.
Dr. Duong Cong Lu - Deputy Director of the Department of Health affirmed: "Thanks to the strong implementation of communication work, there has been a change in smoking behavior as well as raising awareness of protecting public health. Up to now, 100% of provincial and district hospitals have implemented smoke-free environments in their premises; 100% of schools strictly implement the regulation prohibiting smoking in indoor areas and on school premises. The vast majority of agencies, units and schools have developed annual tobacco control plans, making the non-smoking target one of the criteria for evaluation, emulation and reward at the end of the year."
Anti-tobacco harm prevention panels are installed on many traffic routes.
In addition to the results achieved, according to the assessment report of the health sector, currently, some agencies, units and individuals know the regulations on tobacco control but still deliberately violate them, taking the handling method lightly. The reason is that inspection, examination and supervision are not regular, and the sanctions are not appropriate. There are still cases of patients and their relatives deliberately and secretly smoking in medical facilities.
People still smoke in public places. Photo: Tuan Dung.
The harmful effects of tobacco on health are not immediate, but they occur slowly, gradually and smolder, lasting so the majority of smokers underestimate its harmful effects on health. In particular, currently, electronic cigarettes have penetrated deeply into schools, a large number of students have accessed and used them.
A patient's family member ignored the no-smoking rule at a medical facility.
Dr. Duong Cong Lu - Deputy Director of Ha Tinh Department of Health said that in order for tobacco control work to be effective in the coming time, the most important thing is to have the cooperation of all levels, sectors and the entire community, in which the role of the leader must be clearly demonstrated. Strengthen propaganda work on reducing the supply of tobacco products on the market, especially near educational and medical facilities. Organize information and strongly propagate the harmful effects of new tobacco products and heated tobacco products, especially among students. Parents need to monitor and manage their children to avoid students smoking cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. Organize more smoking cessation counseling rooms at medical facilities, invest in facilities and funds to implement smoking cessation counseling points.
Anh Nguyen - Thanh Loan
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