KUALA LUMPUR: Concerned about the serious health implications caused by vaping, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) calls for its ban.
Its president Datuk Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira said the association seconds Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah's suggestion that the use of electronic cigarettes or vapes be completely banned.
"We fully support his call to ban e-cigarette or vape products in the country completely.
"We urge the government to consider this suggestion put forward by His Royal Highness.
"We are equally concerned as vaping can lead to serious health issues such as breathing problems, severe lung disease and also other organ damage," he said in an MMA statement on Thursday (Nov 21).
Dr Kalwinder said vaping, directly and indirectly, can lead to addiction to drugs and other harmful substances.
"Vaping is an issue that must be dealt with urgently before it causes irreversible damage to the health.
"The increasing vape usage by youth in the country is particularly troubling and needs to be nipped in the bud," he said.
Dr Kalwinder shared that as of 2020, as many as 2,807 people have been hospitalised with Evali (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury) as reported to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, while in Malaysia a total of 41 Evali cases have been reported between 2019 and Sept 30 this year (2024).
"It was reported a few days ago (Nov 14), that the Malaysian government has to fork out more than RM150,000 to treat an individual suffering from Evali.
"The Health Ministry has said that the treatment cost (for Evali) was projected to rise to RM369mil annually by 2030 if no control measures were taken against the use of electronic cigarettes or vapes," he said.
On Monday (Nov 18), the media reported that the Pahang Sultan suggested that the use of electronic cigarettes or vapes be completely banned.
Sultan Abdullah was reported to have suggested the recommendation following his concern over the increasing drug abuse in Pahang, especially among the youth, based on statistics from the National Anti-Drug Agency.
According to the Sultan, one of the main reasons why young people fall into drug addiction, both directly and indirectly, starts with the use of vape.
Sultan Abdullah also said vape devices are harmful to health and urged the government to impose a total ban on vaping.
