Hanoi(VNA) – Support hotlines have been set up and a tax hike has been mooted totackle smoking in Vietnam, where more than 100 people are killed bysmoking-related diseases per day.

Every year,Vietnam records approximately 40,000 smoking-related deaths. The figure is forecastto hit 70,000 in 2030.

In 2015,Vietnamese smokers spent 31 trillion VND (1.36 billion USD) on tobacco, whiletotal treatment expenses for smoking-related diseases exceeded 23 trillion VND(1.01 billion USD).

Experts believethe low prices of tobacco products are the main cause leading to its widespreaduse. An average tobacco pack is sold in Vietnam at fewer than 20,000 VND (0.87USD), with the lowest price of 6,000 VND a pack. According to the World HealthOrganisation’s 2017 data, Vietnam was among 15 countries worldwide with lowestprices set for tobacco.

The low pricesresult from the country’s small tax on tobacco. The tax per retail price inVietnam is about 35 – 40 percent, compared to the world average of 56 percentand the WHO’s recommendation of 70 percent.

The Ministry ofHealth has proposed raising the tax on a pack of cigarettes to 2,000 VND (0.088USD).

Meanwhile, thedraft law on Special Consumption Tax, which will come into effect in 2020,plans to put a tax of 1,000 VND (0.044 USD) on a pack of 20 cigarettes orincrease the tax from 75 to 80 percent of the tobacco’s price from 2020 onwardsand from 80 to 85 percent from 2021 onwards. Currently, tax on tobacco productsis 70 percent of the price set by producers.

The taxationpolicy aims to gain additional tobacco tax revenue of 6.3 trillion VND (280million USD) per year, decreasing the rate of male smokers by three percent andreducing 300,000 early deaths caused by smoking.

According to thelatest report from the Ministry of Health, all 63 provinces and cities inVietnam have developed non-smoking areas, while 1,200 training courses onnon-smoking have been held.

Smoking bans wereinstituted at 1,200 schools nationwide, and 51,000 labourers have given upsmoking.

Since 2016, theTobacco Consequences Prevention Fund under the Ministry of Health has assistedthe operation of free hotlines supporting cigarette addicts at Bach Mai hospitalin Hanoi and Gia Dinh People’s Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, while helpingeight other health facilities run consultations for people who want to quitsmoking.

In 2017, more than7,000 phone calls were placed for help on smoking addiction, while 8,400 patientswere treated for cigarette addiction at nine hospitals.-VNA