PNG Government to ban smoking in public places

For the prosperity and health of the nation, the Government of PNG is taking a sweeping measure to ban smoking in public places, Health Department Secretary Pascoe Kase states.

Today (May 31) is World No Tobacco Day as it also calls for tobacco control advocates to reach out to other communities to strengthen their efforts in this mortal fight.

Under the theme “Get ready for plain packaging”, the Health Department is looking at ways to legislate the production and consumption of tobacco.

Kase said the theme talks of the removal of all branding (colours, imagery, corporate logos and trademarks), permitting health warnings only.

“The government and the Health Department is calling on all sectors, private, corporate and other government agencies responsible to work together and in the combat to fight against tobacco control and as much as possible, minimise its sale and advertising of cigarettes,” Kase said.

As smoking cigarettes kills millions of precious lives each year around the world, in PNG, smoking has become a societal norm. This means that tobacco-related diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, respiratory diseases and other non-communicable diseases, have increased.

“The current Government does not want our promising young men and women to pose a danger to their own lives so the Health Department, in consultation with Ministry of Health and HIV, will seek tougher laws on cigarette consumption,” stated the health secretary.


Press Release