GEG's second reading date yet to be set in Parliament

PETALING JAYA: The date for the second reading of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023 at the Dewan Rakyat has yet to be set, says Dr Kelvin Yii.

The Health Ministry special advisor said the date would only be fixed after the ministry received a report from the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) for Health.

The PSSC would submit their report after meeting with the relevant stakeholders, he added.

“From there, the Cabinet will have to deliberate when they want to table the Bill,” he told a press conference after launching a new tele-counselling service by Doctor Anywhere here on Tuesday (June 20).

Dr Yii, who is also Bandar Kuching MP, said in efforts to control and regulate tobacco, the ministry would need the support from stakeholders.

“In order for us to implement the policy, we need their buy-in,” he said.

On June 12, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the GEG Bill had been referred to the PSSC for Health for fine-tuning after the first reading in Parliament.

"This is to allow the committee to make the necessary recommendations after meetings with PSSC, lawmakers and civil society groups," she added.

The GEG, tabled in the Dewan Rakyat last year by the then Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, seeks to regulate the sale, purchase and use of cigarettes and other smoking products among those born in 2007 and later.