KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — The Special Parliamentary Select Committee (PSSC) on Health, Science and Innovation said it had appointed a panel of external experts to advise it ahead of its series of proceedings to scrutinise the proposed Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill that are scheduled to kick off tomorrow.
Its chairman Dr Kelvin Yii, who is also the Bandar Kuching MP, said that the committee will review holistically the prohibition of the sale of cigarettes, tobacco and vape products to anyone born after 2005 that has been touted as the “generation end-game” for smoking.
“While we understand the importance of this Bill on the public health sense, it must be reviewed and analysed from a holistic view to review its impact not just in terms of public health, but also the economy, and social behaviour.
“This is to ensure its feasibility, proper implementation and also if there are better alternatives especially to better regulate or harm reduction rather than an outright ban when it comes to the ‘generation end-game’,” he said in a statement today.
He named the seven experts as:
- Prof Datuk Dr Lekhraj Rampal (Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control 2018-2022 president and Action on Smoking and Health Committee Malaysian Medical Association 2013 to 2022 chairman)
- Dr Helmy Haja Mydin (Consultant respiratory physician and technical adviser to the Health Ministry on tobacco control)
- Roslizawati Md Ali (MyWATCH and Malaysian Women’s Action on Tobacco Control and Health president)
- Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin (University Malaya Centre of Addiction Sciences (Pro-Tobacco Control) chief coordinator)
- Dr Steven Chow (Addiction Medicine Association of Malaysia president)
- Wong Teu Hoon (Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors' General Association president)
- Azrul Mohd Khalib (Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive)
Dr Yii said the proceedings will start with a briefing from Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on how the government plans to table the Bill.
Last month, Khairy said that a new law to ban smoking activities and the possession of any smoking products, including electronic cigarettes (vaping), for those who were born after 2005, will be tabled in Parliament in July.
He said that the Bill was currently being finalised by the Attorney General’s Chambers.
On February 17, Khairy announced the introduction of the law, aimed at reducing the exposure of future generations to cigarettes and smoking products, because their consumption is a major factor in cancer incidence and accounts for 22 per cent of cancer deaths.
