Tobacco-related Annual Healthcare Costs Hit VND108T in Vietnam: Minister

The total healthcare costs associated with tobacco-related illnesses, including treatment, sickness, and mortality, amount to VND108 trillion ($4.5 billion) per year in Vietnam, stated Health Minister Dao Hong Lan.

Minister Lan, who serves as the Chair of the Inter-Agency Council for Tobacco Harm Prevention, announced this information during a rally in Hanoi on May 26 to commemorate World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 2024, and National No Tobacco Week on May 25-31.

Ms. Lan cited a report on the implementation of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Law over the past decade as noting that the prevalence of conventional cigarette smoking among adult males decreased by an average of 0.5% annually from 47.4% in 2010 to 38.9% in 2023.

However, these achievements are at risk of being undermined by the rapid increase in the use of new tobacco products, primarily electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products, she cautioned, pointing out that the smoking rate among young people aged 13-15 from 3.5% in 2022 to 8% in 2023. 

(Suc Khoe Doi Song, Bao Binh Duong, VnExpress, www.haiduongtv.com.vn, vov2.vov.vn, QDND)