The head of the Health Examination Inspection Bureau, Luu Cong Hong, talks to Dai Doan Ket (Great Solidarity) newspaper about the recently passed ban on smoking in public places.
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Public smoking ban starts soon< /> Toothless smoking ban needs enforcement
How many smokers have been fined since the Government passed decision 1315 on banning smoking in public places?
No one has been fined. A guideline circular on how to punish people who smoke in public places has not yet been issued though the Government decision was already in place. A shortage of staff has also made it difficult to enforce the law. The problem is compounded by the fact that there is insufficient awareness about the smoking ban. It is impossible to punish smokers if we cannot catch them in the act.
A series of other difficulties have also arisen. There is the distinct possibility that those who break the law will refuse to pay the fine at the State Treasury. It is also impossible to confiscate the property of those who break the smoking ban as is done for traffic violations. Car drivers who break the law will have their driving licence confiscated by the police, and they can only get it back when they have paid the fine to the State Treasury.
What measures need to be taken to effectively enforce the smoking ban?
First, a guideline circular needs to be issued. Second, crackdown campaigns should be launched in the cities and provinces, partially designed to educate the public about the ban. Third, heads of public bodies should take responsibility for implementing the decision in collaboration with health inspectors, police, education officials, etc.
The Ministry of Health is drafting a guideline circular on the smoking ban. Should a regulation be issued limiting tobacco sales?
I think that is necessary. The focus should be on those places that are allowed to sell tobacco. That way, management agencies would be able to control the sale of tobacco. It would also be more difficult for smokers to buy tobacco as the number of outlets would be reduced.
Programme promotes smoke-free Viet Nam
The Viet Nam National Committee on Smoking and Tobacco Control (VINACOSH), the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and the Family Health International in Viet Nam launched the Click No Smoking initiative programme on Thursday in Ha Noi.
The programme is aimed at garnering the support of the Vietnamese youth for a smoke – free environment as well as the promulgation of the Tobacco Control Law in Viet Nam. Young singer Ha Anh Tuan, as the programme’s ambassador, will spread the message of Click No Smoking through joint activities with youth organisations.
The initiative will gather signatures or votes for the law on-line at www.clickkhongthuocla.vn from now until January 2011. It will also offer opportunities for young people to discuss smoking-related issues as well as measures to prevent harm from smoking and second-hand smoke.
In 2004, Viet Nam ratified the UN’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and on January 1, 2010, banned smoking in public places in order to try and reduce tobacco use for the community’s health.
According to VINACOSH, an average of 40,000 people die from smoking-related diseases each year in Viet Nam, which is four times higher than the death toll from traffic accidents. Young people are starting to smoke at an increasingly early age and smoking prevalence among teenagers is on the rise.
VietNamNet/VNS
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