Smoking claims 72,000 Thai lives every year

[webfact]

Smoking claims 72,000 Thai lives every year

By The Nation

 

 

Though Thailand still has over 10 million smokers, who praises government’s efforts to curb addiction to cigarettes

 

SMOKING kills on average more than 72,000 people a year in Thailand, shortening their lives by about 18 years. 

 

The alarming figures were highlighted at a press conference on World No Tobacco Day, which falls on May 31. 

 

“Diseases associated with smoking such as lung cancer, emphysema, lung inflammation and tuberculosis are the main killers,” Dr Roengrudee Patanavanich, from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, said. 

 

She added that Thailand had 10.7 million smokers in 2017, of whom 72,565 succumbed to smoking-related diseases. On average, they lost about 18 years in terms of longevity. 

 

The estimated cost of treatments, she pointed out, was about Bt77.62 billion a year. 

 

The cost of lost income opportunities as a result of illnesses was Bt11.76 billion a year. 

 

The financial cost of untimely deaths was estimated at Bt131 billion a year. 

 

“In total, smoking has caused financial losses of about Bt220 billion a year,” Roengrudee said, emphasising the loss was much higher than the cigarette taxes that the government could collect. 

 

She said cigarette tax revenue for the state was just about Bt68.6 billion. 

 

Disease Control Department director-general Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said cigarette smoke was dangerous not just for smokers but also for others. 

 

“Just one inhalation of second-hand smoke brings hundreds of toxins into lungs,” he said. 

 

Professor Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, secretary-general of the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand, credited the late General Prem Tinsulanonda for initiating tobacco control in the country. 

 

“In 1988, he assigned the Public Health Ministry to draw up a tobacco-control plan. Back then, there was no law to ban smoking but Prem banned smoking at Government House,” Prakit said. 

 

He highlighted Prem’s contributions to tobacco control a day after Prem, who served as the prime minister between 1980 and 1988, passed away at the age of 98. 

 

At the time of his passing, Prem was a statesman and president of the Privy Council. 

 

Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said it was worrying that a significant number of children started smoking at the age of just 10. He said the government had lately introduced stricter measures to curb smoking in the country. For example, vehicles, offices and all public places are now declared smoke-free. 

 

“At present, we have banned the sale of cigarettes to those younger than 20 years of age. 

 

“We have also barred the sale of loose cigarettes, as well as the use of catch-lines and attractive designs on cigarette packets,” he said. 

 

Piyasakol added that his ministry had implemented a project that required village health volunteers to encourage three locals in their area to quit smoking.

 

Counselling for addicts

 

“State hospitals under our ministry’s supervision have also provided counselling for those interested in giving up smoking. 

 

“People can also easily call Hotline 1600 for advice on how to quit smoking,” he said. 

 

Dr Daniel Kertesz, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Thailand, praised Thai authorities for their success in curbing smoking. This year, Thailand will organise |the World No Tobacco event under the “Cigarettes Burn Your Lungs” theme to highlight the damage |cigarettes cause to these crucial organs.

 

The event, set for Friday at Central Festival EastVille, will also include an award-presentation to individuals and organisations who have made outstanding contributions to the country’s tobacco control. 

 

According to Piyasakol, smoking causes one death every four seconds on average at the global level. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30370088

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-28

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[Chazar]

Could be worse if  you both  smoked and drove a car!

[monkeycu]

Just now, Chazar said:

Could be worse if  you both  smoked and drove a car!

Most do 

[geoffbezoz]

Just now, Chazar said:

Could be worse if  you both  smoked and drove a car!

Of the 72,000 guess many of them died in their pick-ups

[Danny Crane]

And it's STILL illegal to Vape (e-cigarettes). When are the Thai govt. going to wake up?

[donnacha]

If you thought smoking was bad, wait until you see the cumulative affect of the world's worst pollution on every pair of lungs in the North of Thailand.

[potless]

35 minutes ago, Danny Crane said:

When are the Thai govt. going to wake up?

When they have worked out how to tax it.

[CGW]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Though Thailand still has over 10 million smokers, who praises government’s efforts to curb addiction to cigarettes

Great headline - who's "who"? the same people who say nothing about the atrocious air quality and pollution that is rampant throughout the whole county? ????

[paulbrow]

2 hours ago, Danny Crane said:

And it's STILL illegal to Vape (e-cigarettes). When are the Thai govt. going to wake up?

I agree.. vaping does indeed assist in quitting the tobacco habit, but is totally illegal here... sorry it's not illegal to vape but illegal to possess vaping "paraphernalia" as you must have illegally imported it. Vaping materials could certainly become a very profitable tax stream if someone thought about it and simultaneously reduce the number of tobacco smokers.

[upena]

And, vaping is illegal

[soalbundy]

phew !  as a smoker I'm glad I'm not Thai.

[sammieuk1]

The event, set for Friday at Central Festival EastVille, will also include an award-presentation to individuals and organisations who have made outstanding contributions to the country’s tobacco control. 

 

Ecig's would be an outstanding contribution in a normal place ????

[Orton Rd]

46 minutes ago, upena said:

And, vaping is illegal

I am not at all upset it is, nothing worse that being near somebody puffing out stinking clouds from one of those trendy devices.

[30la]

Please count the deaths because of microparticles 2.5 ... I think there will be many more.

[ThomasThBKK]

33 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

I am not at all upset it is, nothing worse that being near somebody puffing out stinking clouds from one of those trendy devices.

 

Yeah sure watermelon and strawberry flavour stink but cigarettes, durian and car exhausts don't ????

Not yo mention second hand vapor steam has absolutey no negative health effects. 

 

Thailand, home of the ignorant. 

 

 

[dinsdale]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

“Diseases associated with smoking such as lung cancer, emphysema, lung inflammation and tuberculosis are the main killers,” Dr Roengrudee Patanavanich, from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, said. 

Tuberculosis is a seperate disease. If you do not have TB then there is no association with smoking. Quite misleading.

[Antiparovian]

Easy. Ramp up the taxes on them.

[mommysboy]

Vaping is clean, inoffensive, and thought by mainstream science to be up to 95% safer than smoking, ergo, it's banned in Thailand.

[metisdead]

Some off topic posts have been removed. 

[connda]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Though Thailand still has over 10 million smokers, who praises government’s efforts to curb addiction to cigarettes

If it's an addiction, then why aren't cigarettes banned.  Rhetorical question - we all know the answer.

[digger70]

Smoking saves money,,,, Proven fact. If one dies 10 yrs before his/her time ,,,, how much money is saved you may ask. Just work out  how much it would cost to live the extra 10 yrs that's what it saves. Just Logic or not?     

[from the home of CC]

2 hours ago, Antiparovian said:

Easy. Ramp up the taxes on them.

That's the normal response but the tobacco firms here have some real juice, why do think you can't vape? The government wanted a bigger jump last time but were pressured to back off.

[from the home of CC]

and weed hasn't killed anyone but still demonized go figure..

[BestB]

8 hours ago, Danny Crane said:

And it's STILL illegal to Vape (e-cigarettes). When are the Thai govt. going to wake up?

When vaping industry will bring in more tax than smoking .

 

docs in OP nicely quoted the cost of health for smokers but left out tax income from all those smokers .

 

may find income is double if not triple of health care costs.

 

just like in the west, they always whine about smokers being a burden on healthcare. Well smoker pays around $25 tax per packet , plus shops pays tax plus wholesalers pay tax plus manufacture pays tax.

 

let me tell you , each smoker has paid for their healthcare in the life time twice over????

[malibukid]

any numbers on pollution?

[Wilsonandson]

I'm becoming very unsure as to what the rules are on smoking in Bangkok.

Are you allowed to smoke whilst walking down the road ( I know not to throw butts down in street), are you allowed to smoke outside of your hotel?

Does anyone know the current restrictions on smoking?

[Cheops]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

“In total, smoking has caused financial losses of about Bt220 billion a year,” Roengrudee said, emphasising the loss was much higher than the cigarette taxes that the government could collect. 

72000 deaths per year > no problem. 

 

The government losing money > BIG problem!

[Mac98]

The cost of treating those illnesses: so non-smokers incur no costs when they are dying? Cost from early deaths: The only way to afford Social Security. Lost work hours hurting businesses: If that's a big concern then businesses should back health care for all illnesses. Smoking cigarettes bad? Yes, but I question the total cost to the economy. Just give us the true numbers, not cooked books. Remember, we should have all been dead from AIDS by 1988 according to the scare tactics at the time. 

[Barefoot]

The reported figure is probably underreported by at least 2:1.  The U.S. has 34 Million smokers and 480,000 smoking-caused deaths.

Smoking Deaths in the U.S. from CDC

[mikebell]

20 hours ago, Chazar said:

Could be worse if  you both  smoked and drove a car!

And lived in Chiang Mai.

So 24,000 road deaths pa = 66 a day (that they admit to.)

72,000 cigarette deaths pa = 197 a day. (Does this include field burning deaths?)

Thailand is a very dangerous place to live.