Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health has urged regional governments in the country to move actively in implementing the smoke-free area policy to reduce secondhand smoke exposure.
"This policy must not stop at the central government level. Regions must move actively," said the Chair of the Tobacco-Related Disease Control Working Group of the Ministry of Health, Benget Saragih, in a statement received here on Sunday.
According to him, the government had created Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024 as a concrete measure to respond to an increase in smoking prevalence, both conventional and electronic cigarettes, especially among children and teenagers.
This was conveyed by Saragih while speaking at the Health Forum: Protect Now, Later event in Yogyakarta on Friday (April 25).
The forum was an important moment to strengthen cross-sectoral commitment in accelerating the cigarette control policy in regions, as well as disseminating information about Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024 on Health.
On the same occasion, the Director of Regional Legal Instruments at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Imelda, highlighted the importance of creating regional regulations that are participatory, based on real needs, and made in harmony with national regulations.
The Ministry of Home Affairs also emphasized the importance of strengthening the role of regional governments so that the number of regional legal instruments will not be excessive.
This is in line with the improvement of the Regional Compliance Index and the creation and implementation of the Regional Regulation on Smoke-Free Areas.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
