Khairy: Ban aims to curb death and disease caused by smoking

PETALING JAYA: The planned smoking ban for future generations could drastically bring down the number of cancer deaths, says the Health Ministry.

In his World Cancer Day statement, Khairy Jamaluddin (pic) said the ministry was diligently studying the implementation of the ban and other provisions in the Tobacco and Smoking Control Act which was set to be tabled in Parliament.

He said the “Generational End Game” plan would see Malaysia becoming a tobacco-free nation.

“The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that one-third of deaths are due to cancer, and this is caused by smoking, excessive weight gain, alcohol consumption, low intake of vegetables and fruits, as well as physical inactivity.

“Tobacco consumption accounts for 22% of cancer deaths. The estimated cost of treating lung cancer due to smoking is RM132.7mil a year.

“Recognising this, the ministry is currently examining the implementation of the ‘Generational End Game’ which will be part of the Tobacco and Smoking Control Act.

“It is hoped the implementation of the ban will reduce the number of new smokers in the future.

“With that, the ministry can focus on the cost of treating other patients,” he said.

Recently, Khairy announced that Malaysia plans to ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to individuals born after 2005.

Khairy also said the ministry reported an increase in cancer cases by 11% (115,238 cases) for the period of 2012-2016, compared to 103,507 cases in 2007 to 2011.

He added that cancer was also the leading cause of death in private hospitals (34.95%) and the fourth highest cause of death in government hospitals (11.56%).

It is also one of the top 10 reasons for hospital admissions in government hospitals (5.17%) and private hospitals (5.37%).

Khairy said the three most common types of cancer among men in Malaysia were colorectal or colon cancer (16.9%), lung cancer (14.8%) and prostate cancer (8.1%).

For women, the main type is breast cancer (33.9%) followed by colorectal cancer (10.7%) and cervical cancer (6.2%).

“The relative survival rate for cancer patients after five years of being diagnosed is 11% for lung cancer, 51.1% for colorectal cancer, 51.6% for cervical cancer, 66.8% for breast cancer and 73% for prostate cancer.

“A total of 63.7% of all cancers are detected late, in stages III and IV,” said Khairy, adding that early detection followed by prompt and effective treatment would give patients a better chance at recovery.