Health Ministry outlines Kuwait’s ongoing initiatives on prevention and adverse effects of smoking

• Tobacco is one of the most dangerous health threats facing the world today.

• It contains toxic chemicals like nicotine and cyanide that harm human body over a period of time.

• Tobacco smoking increases risk of heart disease, stroke, lung disease and cancer.

Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadhi, confirmed today, Sunday, that the State of Kuwait, in close cooperation with various Civil Society Institutions, is making continuous efforts to combat the deadly scourge of smoking through a comprehensive strategy based on the main axes of control, prevention and treatment.

This came in the opening speech delivered by Minister Al-Awadhi, at the “International Conference on Tobacco Control” under the title “The Scourge of Smoking and Conflict of Interest”, which is organized by the “Kuwait Society for Combating Smoking and Cancer” in cooperation with the “National Program for Combating Smoking” at the Ministry of Health, and will last for two days.

He added that “tobacco is one of the most dangerous health threats facing the world over, and statistics show that more than a billion people around the world use tobacco, and that the smoking epidemic causes death of more than a million people annually”.

Al-Awadhi explained that “tobacco contains toxic chemicals such as nicotine and cyanide, which harm the human body over time. Smoking also increases the risk of serious diseases such as heart disease, stroke, lung damage and many types of cancer”.

On a cautious note, Al-Awadhi pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) has paid special attention to the negative effects of the tobacco industry’s economics and its harmful effects, especially in developing countries that suffer huge economic and health losses due to the import or manufacture of tobacco products.

Al-Awadhi categorically stated that “based on this, is the importance of the role of countries in enacting strict legislation that prohibits smoking in various facilities, and that the audio, print and visual media bear a great responsibility in educating society about the dangers of this deadly phenomenon, and its negative effects on public health and society”.

In recognition to Kuwait’s efforts, Minister Al-Awadhi appreciated the role played by the Kuwait Society for Combating Smoking and Cancer in protecting public health policies, from the influence of the tobacco industry and confronting campaigns promoting this scourge; indicating that the conference sheds light on the scourge of tobacco and smoking as one of the most dangerous social scourges that threaten the lives of millions around the world.

On his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Anti-Smoking and Cancer Society, Dr. Khaled Al-Saleh, stressed in his speech about the “serious and sincere work to protect our societies, especially the youth, from the dangers of the tobacco industry, which has begun to target them, exploiting its influence that has become greatly influential on the economies of developing countries.”

Al-Saleh explained that confronting the tobacco industry and promotion is the best way to reduce the damage it causes, especially since there are huge sums of money incurred by governments to provide special treatments for diseases resulting from smoking in all its types and sources, especially the high rates of infection with chronic diseases, most notably cancer.

Considering effects on ecology, Al-Saleh pointed to the environmental damage caused by tobacco cultivation, as well as the social, economic and other damages, “which places upon us the responsibility of unifying efforts to show the frightening reality we live in today, with nearly 1.1 billion tobacco smokers aged 15 years or older, 80 percent of whom live in low- and middle-income countries.”

Focusing on the statistics, he indicated that about 10 percent of people aged between 13 and 15 years around the world use tobacco, including 12 million teenagers who use new products, which are underestimates due to the lack of data in more than 70 countries.

Meanwhile, Al-Saleh emphasized about the warnings that also include electronic cigarettes containing nicotine, which are harmful to health like traditional tobacco products, and are widely and rapidly spreading among all segments of society. Especially, among young people and teenagers, this is in addition to the spread of smoking among women.

On a nationwide level and for community welfare and healthcare, Al-Saleh pointed out that establishing national anti-smoking programmes, is one of the indicators of the interest of government agencies in confronting the scourge of smoking and reducing its health, environmental and economic damages.

Al-Saleh primarily emphasized that such steps can be built upon and communication networks can be formed, with the relevant authorities to push towards developing and implementing policies to confront the tobacco economy.