World No Tobacco Day 2023: MoH Union Minister attends commemorative ceremony

A ceremony to commemorate “World No Tobacco Day 2023” was held at the Ministry of Health on Wednesday.

At the ceremony, Union Minister for Health Dr. Thet Khaing Win delivered an opening speech. In his opening address, he said that every year of May 31 is world no Tobacco day. Using tobacco can cause coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke, cancer, chronic lung disease.

He also said that commemorative ceremony for World No Tobacco Day has been held around the world since 1989 and this year theme is “We need food, not tobacco”.  The Union Minister added that one of the reasons for the food shortage is due to the cultivation of tobacco. According to the data published by the World Health Organization, more than 3.5 million hectares of land are used for tobacco cultivation worldwide every year, and more than 200,000 hectares of forest are destroyed. He urged to conduct the awareness programs among farmers regarding the cultivation of crops instead of tobacco and to support financial and technology supports.

He also urged to cooperate between private organizations and the public to promote market for tobacco substitute crops. After that, a documentary video in commemoration of the World No Tobacco Day (2023) was shown and the Union Minister and officials then viewed round the display of booths commemorating the ceremony.