Vientiane, April 6 (IANS) More than 6,000 people in Laos die annually from tobacco-related diseases, resulting in economic losses exceeding 3.6 billion Lao kip (some $1.6 million), health officials said.

The figure was delivered at a meeting of the National Committee for Tobacco Control, chaired by Lao Minister of Health Baykham Khattiya. The session reviewed progress in implementing tobacco control measures, Lao News Agency reported on Monday.

Officials also highlighted ongoing challenges, such as enforcing the ban on electronic cigarettes, the rise of new tobacco products, and legal barriers to strengthening regulations.

Speaking at the meeting last Friday, Baykham warned that the tobacco industry remains a major threat to public health and national development, contributing to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular conditions and chronic respiratory illnesses.

Emphasizing that legislation alone is not enough, she called for stricter enforcement and stronger cross-sector cooperation, Xinhua news agency reported.

On March 12, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance had convened a national workshop to strengthen protection of public health policies from tobacco industry interference and enhance enforcement of the country’s ban on electronic cigarettes.

In addition to the workshop, the delegation paid courtesy visits to key line ministries to reinforce actions on tobacco control, including the Ministries of Health, Finance, Industry and Commerce, and the Office of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor of Lao PDR.

The workshop brought together representatives from line ministries, the WHO FCTC Secretariat, the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, the WHO Headquarters, the WHO Lao PDR Country Office, WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Article 5.3, experts from Australia, Thailand and Cambodia, as well as development partners.

It provides a valuable opportunity for Lao PDR to learn from regional and global experiences in safeguarding public health policies from tobacco industry influence and strengthening implementation of existing tobacco control measures, including the national ban on e-cigarettes.

–IANS

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