ILOILO City – Before this year ends, all rural health centers in Western Visayas must already be capable of providing cessation services to smokers who want to kick the unhealthy habit.
This is the target of the Department of Health (DOH) – that each health center must have at least two personnel trained on smoking cessation processes.
DOH-6 is not actually starting from scratch for this goal set by Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, said John Richard Lapascua, Nurse V of DOH Region 6’s Non-Communicable Disease Unit.
Twenty-two LGUs already have smoking cessation clinics, said Lapascua during yesterday’s press conference related to the observance of August as National Lung Month.
These LGUs are recipients of DOH’s Red Orchid Award, an annual recognition of institutions that promote a smoke-free environment.
“Sila ini nga mga banwa may tested and proven operational smoking cessation units,” said Lapascua.
DOH is stepping up its campaign against smoking. To make consumers aware of its harmful effects, the department recently released a new set of graphic health warnings on tobacco products as mandated under Republic Act 10643 (The Graphic Health Warnings Law).
The graphic warnings show illnesses associated with tobacco use – foot gangrene, deep tissue infections, mouth cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and lung disease, premature birth, and tooth loss.
These images are to be carried on all tobacco products, whether these are made locally or imported, as mandated by DOH Administrative Order 2023-0012 that Herbosa issued.
Meanwhile, of the 133 LGUs in Region 6, 91 already have comprehensive tobacco control ordinances.
These LGUs were from the provinces of Aklan (16), Antique (15), Capiz (14), Guimaras (three), Iloilo and Iloilo City (31), and Negros Occidental (12).
Lapascua said other LGUs also have local tobacco control ordinances but these are not deemed comprehensive enough. Most of these followed RA 9211 or the Tobacco Regulations Act of 2002.
A tobacco control ordinance is considered comprehensive if it has the following salient features:
* smoking is prohibited 10 meters away from public spaces or crowded areas
* selling of cigarettes is prohibited 100 meters away from places usually frequented by minors
* electronic cigarettes are prohibited
* tobacco advertising promotions and sponsorship are prohibited
“That’s why gina-push naton subong comprehensive ordinance to ensure nga safe ang aton mga pumoluyo from tobacco smoke in public as well as gina-include na naton subong ang pag-prohibit sang e-cigarette,” said Lapascua.
DOH-6 data showed that five of the 10 leading cause of morbidity in the region last year (2022) were respiratory-related diseases.
These were pneumonia (Top 3), 24, 772 cases; acute respiratory infection (Top 5), five years old and above; tuberculosis (Top 6); acute respiratory infection (Top 7), below five years old; and bronchitis (Top 9).
Other leading causes of morbidity in the region were are animal bites (Top 1), hypertension (Top 2), urinary tract infection (Top 4), skin disease (Top 8); and fever of unknown origin (Top 10)./PN
