LETTER | Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) welcomes and is in full support of the recent Health Ministry's directive to ban smoking in the Parliament and restaurants nationwide.

Globally, tobacco use is a leading preventable cause of premature death and disease and presently causes more than five million deaths each year and is expected to cause over eight million deaths annually by 2030.

As Malaysia faces an increasing burden in non-communicable diseases, there is no doubt that smoking related serious diseases such as lung cancer, respiratory disease and heart disease are major contributory factors to this devastating public health burden.

It is estimated that about 20,000 people in Malaysia die each year from diseases linked to the smoking habit while the number of smokers is believed to be increasing.

Since 1971, Malaysia had been continuously implementing strategies and campaigns tirelessly to decrease tobacco use and its deadly health consequences not only on smokers themselves but on non-smokers as well who were exposed to the ill effects of second-hand smoke.

The MMA applauds the valiant effort of the Health Ministry  lead by the extraordinary political will of our Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad who places the health of every Malaysian first and foremost.

This is the exemplary leadership expected of all our ministers as we are ever ready to work hand in hand with the Health Ministry  towards elimination of all tobacco-related diseases.

The writer is the president of Malaysian Medical Association.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.