THE Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM), a national body representing doctors in private practice in Malaysia, will be organising its first tobacco harm reduction (THR) education series this month.
Themed Tobacco Harm Reduction: The Malaysian Context, the education series is designed to facilitate exchange of ideas, knowledge, research findings and recommendations for the adoption of THR in Malaysia among members of the scientific, public health and medical community.
“All medical practitioners are aware that cigarette smoking remains the single most important avoidable cause of death in the developed world,” commented FPMPAM’s president Dr Steven Chow.
“We also know that smokers of any age can achieve substantial health benefits by quitting. In fact, no other single public health effort is likely to achieve a benefit comparable to large-scale smoking cessation.”
Moreover, multiple surveys – both local and international – have revealed that the majority of smokers would like to quit with many having made repeated efforts to do so. In addition to existing tobacco control initiatives, the event can benefit from exploring innovative solutions such as THR.
Aside from creating a platform to discuss THR, the education series is also aligned with the Health Ministry’s call for smart collaborations with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private agencies listed within the National Strategic Plan for the Control of Tobacco & Smoking Products 2021-2030.
“Through this education series, our aim is to initiate national discussion where all parties can discuss and disseminate information from a public health perspective on THR, and how best to move forward from scientific, public health, regulatory and social perspectives,” reckoned Dr Chow.
The educational series will kick off with the “Smoking Cessation Organisation, Planning and Execution (SCOPE)” course organised by the University Malaya Centre of Addiction Sciences (UMCAS) on Nov 14 (Sunday).
With regard to the tax framework for nicotine vape as per unveiled in Budget 2022, Dr Chow said the decision by the Government to expand the taxation framework for vape needs to be supported by strict regulations prior to immediately putting the idea in place.
“The taxation levels for THR products in Malaysia must remain risk-proportionate, benchmarked against high-risk products such as cigarettes,” he opined. “Evidence on risks must be studied so that the data can be used to determine the level of restrictions that need to be implemented.”
Given that Malaysia spends billions of ringgit annually in treating smoking-related illnesses, the implementation of THR strategies will be able to reduce cigarette smoking-related illnesses, thus saving save money used for treating these diseases.
“Whether this will be replaced with an increased cost to treat other nicotine-related morbidity needs to be examined closely,” added Dr Chow.
Founded in 1989, FPMPAM has more than 5,000 members in seven state-level associations in the country. – Nov 2, 2021
