It’s time to quit
As of yesterday, coinciding with World No Tobacco Day, smoking has been banned in and around South Australian hospitals, clinics and health department buildings. Aged care facilities will follow suit in November.
SA Health chief executive, Tony Sherbon, says the ban will help protect people from the effects of passive smoking.
“It protects our staff from passive smoking, it also protects our in-patients and it also gives a strong signal to the community that smoking is not healthy,” he said, quoted in an ABC News report.
“It’s the leading cause of cancer and it’s best if people don’t smoke. We will be offering nicotine replacement treatment to staff and in-patients but for visitors they will have to remove themselves from the property to smoke.”
Federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, announced an additional $5 million in funding for Quitline services.
According to Cancer Council SA, the increased investment in social marketing campaigns could reduce South Australia’s smoking rate from 20 to 17 percent by the end of 2013 – possibly lower coupled with plans to eliminate tobacco displays at point-of-sale through out SA.
“Helping 35,000 South Australian’s to quit smoking or not take up the deadly habit will be a major contribution to the health of our community,” says Professor Brenda Wilson, Cancer Council SA chief executive.
“Tobacco smoking is our state’s largest preventable cause of death. Every year in SA we face the equivalent of a huge train wreck, with 1,130 people dying from tobacco use, 78,000 hospital bed days being utilised and an estimated cost to the community of $1.7 billion,” she said.
SA Health Minister, John Hill, says he is yet to consider their push for a ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas. He also says the SA Government will more than double funding for anti-smoking campaigns.
Quitline is available on 13 78 48 and http://www.quit.org.au
In another announcement, Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, revealed an anti-tobacco workforce will soon roll out in the first 20 of 57 regions around Australia to tackle Indigenous smoking rates.
Mr Snowdon said each region would receive a regional tobacco coordinator and tobacco action worker, in addition to two new Healthy Lifestyle workers to help improve nutrition and physical activity in indigenous communities.
In total, from July, 82 positions will be rolled out as follows:
- 20 Regional Tobacco Coordinators
- 21 Tobacco Action Workers
- 41 Healthy lifestyle workers
According to Mr Snowdon, the high level of Indigenous smoking rates can not be ignored any longer.
These positions will complement new Healthy Lifestyle workers, which are part of a $37.5 million initiative to help people get more physically active and improve their eating habits.
The Government has also invested in the $14.5 million Indigenous Tobacco Control Initiative, which is funding 18 projects operating around Australia, trialing ways to better engage with Indigenous people to help them quit, or not take up smoking in the first instance.
