The Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr Jaleela Hassan, has joined the world’s nations recently and participated in the celebration of ‘World No Tobacco Day’, which falls on May 31 every year. This year the celebration comes under the slogan “Let’s plant food, not tobacco.”
World No Tobacco Day celebrations were held by organizing several events and activities aimed at highlighting tobacco consumption and its effects on human health and the environment.
In addition, Minister Jaleela Hassan the WHO confirmed tobacco farming hurts farmers’ health and planet’s health, so it is encouraging countries to support farmers in the transition to more sustainable crops that improve food security and nutrition.
World No Tobacco Day aims to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use, to provide society with the knowledge to enable it to stand against the harm of smoking and to draw global attention to widespread control of tobacco use and its negative health impacts.
According to WHO statistics, 90 per cent of deaths from lung cancer, 75 per cent from chronic scoliosis, and 25 per cent from coronary artery blockages are caused by smoking. Therefore, effective measures are being taken in different countries of the world aimed at preventing the spread of this bad habit and encouraging smokers to quit it.
The Kingdom of Bahrain joined the World Health Organization Convention on Tobacco Control in 2007, and since then, work has begun immediately for the implementation of the articles of the Convention.
The issuance of Decree No. of 2009 on Anti-smoking and Tobacco is a strong push for the efforts to combat smoking in the Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has made measures from During the National Committee for Combating Smoking and Tobacco of its Types and Products. There is a great effort to raise awareness of the harms of smoking among members of the community, its government, and private and public institutions.
Furthermore, the Committee specializes in establishing the necessary health conditions to reduce the risk of tobacco use, preparing studies and research related to tobacco consumption rates in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and providing recommendations that contribute to the reduction of These rates and the establishment of rules that ensure the public is protected from tobacco product smoke.
The Ministry of Health emphasizes continuing efforts and achievements in the field of combating smoking and tobacco, renewing commitment to what has been achieved over the past years of tremendous efforts.
The ministry is seeking to reduce tobacco consumption, help smokers quit, preserve their lives, protect them from diseases that cause them, and ensure a healthy life free of disease for all members of the community.