SHAH ALAM: For every ringgit the government collects in taxes on cigarettes, it expects to spend RM4 on treatment for smoking-related diseases.
Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said revenue from the duty on tobacco products averaged only about RM4 billion a year.
“However, the government expects to spend a total of RM16 billion this year to treat people who have fallen ill as a result of their smoking habit,” he told reporters after launching the Health Education Town Hall, here today.
The sum of RM16 billion will be shared between the government and the private sector.
To put it in context, the allocation for health in Budget 2019 was RM29 billion.
Apart from the government, businesses also share in the cost of treatment for smoking-related illnesses through medical benefits for their employees.
Smoking is the main contributor to cancer as well as lung and coronary heart diseases.
While statistics indicate a marginal decline in the number of smokers in the country, the numbers are still a cause for concern. The data shows that in 2016, there were more than five million smokers in Malaysia, accounting for 22.8% of the population.
The government hopes to lower the proportion of smokers to 5% of the population by 2045.
A study by the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) that was published in November last year showed that Malaysians smoked 574.9 million packets of cigarettes a year. At 20 a pack, that added up to more than 11.5 billion cigarettes. At RM17 a packet, that would have cost smokers a whopping RM9.9 billion.
Despite the health risks, smokers have found little success in quitting the habit.
Lee said a recent survey by his ministry showed that of those who tried to stop smoking in the past seven years, only 23% managed to stay clean for more than six months.
From 2012 to 2018, only 16,930 smokers succeeded in kicking the habit.
Nonetheless, the government continues in its relentless effort to curb the habit. It has 46 hospitals and 731 health clinics where smokers can get help to stub out the habit.
Anyone who needs help to stop smoking may call its ‘Quitline’ at 03-88834400.
