Good news for non-smokers

Smoking has been prohibited in indoor areas. Reem Leila reports on a landmark law

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The campaign against smoking scored a winner this week when the new tobacco law made it through the People's Assembly (PA). The law incorporates the new amendments, proposed by Hamdi El-Sayed, chairman of the PA's Health Committee and head of the Doctors' Syndicate. These include a ban on smoking in indoor areas and on the sale of tobacco to those under the age of 18. All forms of tobacco advertising will be prohibited, and a 10 per cent increase added to the price of cigarettes. A detailed health warning will also cover 50 per cent of the pack on both sides. "The price hike is important in order to discourage youngsters from smoking and to decrease smoking in general, and reduce tobacco sales," El-Sayed said.

According to the new tobacco law which goes into effect immediately, smoking will be totally prohibited in health and educational organisations, youth centres, legislative associations and all governmental authorities and clubs. The establishment in which the violation occurs is to pay a fine between LE1,000 and LE50,000. The person who smokes stands to be fined from LE50 to LE100. "The individual as well as the establishment are fined in order to deter both from violating the law," stated El-Sayed.

A report released by the Health Committee said Egyptians smoke 19 billion cigarettes a year, spending LE3 billion annually. Smokers in Egypt increase by six to nine per cent every year as compared to one per cent in the West. "Egypt has half a million smokers under 15 years old and 500,000 under the age of 12," El-Sayed told Al-Ahram Weekly. "The outcome is always better if you can get to children before they actually pick up the habit. Prevention is always better than control."

Egypt has the cheapest cigarettes in the world, one reason why raising prices is an important factor in cutting down on consumption and funding healthcare. In 1992, a simple increase of 10 piastres per pack brought in LE200 million per year, which was used to finance health insurance for schoolchildren. "The 10-piastre increase, however, was not enough to affect the number of smokers. But 10 per cent might," suggested El-Sayed. "A percentage of increased revenues could be directed to the new children's cancer hospital."

According to recent data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), one-third of young people start smoking before the age of 10, and the vast majority of adult smokers start before 18. Moreover, WHO has notified Egypt that it is not complying with the international treaty it signed in the early 1990s, stipulating that a printed warning against smoking must cover 50 per cent of a cigarette pack.

El-Sayed believes the government has never been as serious as it is now about waging war on smoking. "We made a big fuss about it but they turned a deaf ear. Undoubtedly, this is a good start, but unless the government makes the issue a priority, it will be a lost cause," he said.

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, 40 per cent of Egyptian males and two per cent of females smoke. The percentage rises in certain professions -- 45 per cent of teachers and 44 per cent of physicians smoke. Earlier in the decade, a decree was issued by the Ministry of Health reducing cigarette tar content from 20 to 15 milligrammes in an attempt to minimise smoking hazards and to comply with international standards.

Abdel-Rahman Shahin, the official spokesman of the Health Ministry, said that the fact that smoking causes lung cancer and heart problems is not news to smokers. Despite the fact that almost all categories of smokers are aware of the dangerous consequences of their habit, they are unwilling to stop. Shahin believes that the new law "is a step towards improving people's health.

"It is an achievement, a step along the way. The next step should be to increase taxation on imported cigarettes," Shahin added.

This would not necessarily be a burden on the average Egyptian smoking local brands. Those who consume imported brands can definitely afford to pay more, and revenues could then go to healthcare. "But increasing public awareness of the dangers of smoking remains crucial. This is the society's responsibility -- that of the media especially," Shahin concluded.