A prominent Filipino physician has underscored the relevance of state intervention in curbing the incidence of smoking in the country, hinting that existing policies including scare tactics and high excise taxes on tobacco products appeared to have fallen short of expectations.
Dr. Lorenzo Mata, a veteran family health doctor and medical consultant, cited a declaration and research of two UK-based organizations which he believed could help guide Philippine policymakers in formulating sound policies meant to enable Filipino smokers to gain access to less harmful smoking alternatives while at the same time upholding the quality and integrity of public health for Filipinos.
Mata was specifically referring to a report of the Action on Smoking and Health, a UK-based public health charity that works to eliminate the harm caused by cigarette smoking.
The group declared that government support is crucial in helping smokers quit.
The doctor also adverted to a report by the Cancer Research UK, a private cancer research and awareness charity, which revealed that close to140,000 cancer cases in England could have been prevented through support from the National Health Service. Some 54,000 of these cases resulted from cigarette smoking.
The figure is twice as many as that of obesity which is considered as the next biggest preventable risk factor.
ASH hailed the study, saying it highlights the benefits of quitting the use of combustible cigarettes. “If we are serious about preventing cancer, smoking remains the number one priority,” said ASH chief executive Deborah Arnott.
Arnott also cited the efficacy of ENDS, also called e-cigarettes, in reducing the number of cigarette users. “The UK policy is on the right track; with thousands of smokers switching to vaping and improving their health and little sign of non-smokers taking up vaping.”
The Philippines has some 16 million adult smokers who are at risk of developing lung and throat cancer, among other tobacco-related diseases. It is estimated that 10 Filipinos die every hour due to illnesses caused by cigarette use.
“The Philippine government is not helping address the local tobacco epidemic by increasing taxes on viable and less harmful smoking alternatives such as ENDS. Instead, they are, perhaps inadvertently, forcing smokers to go back to the use of combustible cigarettes. The implementation of increased taxation policies may discourage many Filipinos who wish to quit smoking, but are not always able to do so through prescribed methods like nicotine replacement therapies, or going cold turkey,” Mata said.
He pointed out that the UK government offers its citizens “stop smoking” programs, on top of judicious government regulations, to allow them to make the crucial switch to reduced risk smoking tools such as ENDS.
“On average, a smoker will make more than 30 attempts before he is able to successfully quit smoking. ENDS can help them stay the course of their quitting journey, as it can serve as a less harmful stop-gap measure for smokers that are unable to quit cold turkey.”
Mata said the appropriate regulation of ENDS, based on its harm reduction potential, may even result in increased funds for the Philippines’ Universal Healthcare Act, with the decrease in the number of people suffering from tobacco-related illnesses and the costs incurred on their treatment.
“As it is, the government incurs around P188 billion annually in healthcare expenses and productivity losses due to cigarette smoking. Instead of implementing steep taxes on ENDS, and imposing regulations on the sale and distribution of these products, the government should seriously consider the growing body of sound scientific evidence on the harm-reduction potential of ENDS. Otherwise, we may only see the number of Filipino smokers balloon out of proportion,” Mata said.