Minister chairs anti-smoking committee meeting

Manama, Mar. 19 (BNA): Health Minister Faeqa Saeed Al Saleh chaired the National anti-smoking, anti-tobacco Committee meeting attended by representatives from the ministries and official departments. The committee reviewed the items on its agenda and approved them as well as the previous minutes of meeting. It discussed the recommendations and resolutions passed during the previous committee meeting and actions taken in regard therewith. The committee confirmed the approval of the National Anti-Tobacco Plan in the Kingdom of Bahrain compiled by all the committee members in harmony with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s anti-tobacco plan. The committee discussed the allocation of the No Smoking Day to mark the World’s anti-tobacco Day on May 31. It also discussed the organizing of an awareness forum to review the successful experiences of individuals who kicked off the dangerous habit of cigarette smoking. The meeting reviewed the launch of awareness videos to enlighten the community members, citing the effective imposition of selective VAT on tobacco products that harm the human health, and spreading the message across the media. The committee also discussed the content of its annual report on the accomplishments of the various departments in Bahrain concerned with tobacco control during 2016-2917.