Praneeta Prakash 
Health Minister Dr. Atonio Lalabalavu is calling on all Fijians to unite in exposing the truth about tobacco products.
According to Dr Lalabalavu, 18 percent of adults in Fiji use tobacco products such as cigarettes and suki and even more worrying, 14% of teenagers aged 13 to 17 have tried tobacco.
He highlighted this while marking World No Tobacco Day in Levuka today.
Dr Lalabalavu says while tobacco products may look attractive on the outside, he warns that they hide serious health risks and harmful intentions beneath their surface.
“It kills more than 1200 Fijian annually. Nearly 11 percent of all admissions are attributed to tobacco-related illness. With exacerbated national crisis in NCDs, again further challenging our already challenged health systems. This is a high social and economic burden that directly affects the well-being and the future of our communities.”
Dr Lalabalavu says in December last year, the Ministry of Health partnered with the UNDP, WHO, and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to launch a report.
He says the report shows that stronger tobacco control could save Fiji $32 million in health costs over 15 years which includes savings from the government’s $22 million in health care expenditures, an ordinary Fijian savings of $5 million in out-of-pocket health care costs and $5 million saved from other health sources of health care expenditure.
The report recommends five proven strategies, including raising tobacco taxes, making public places smoke-free, using plain packaging on tobacco products, ban all forms of tobacco advertising and sponsorship and support people who want to quit tobacco.
Dr. Lalabalavu is urging everyone to take part in protecting Fiji’s future.
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