Sri Lanka aims to be free of tobacco

Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry has dedicated this year to building a society free of tobacco and alcohol, and a presidential task force is being set up to tackle the issues of smoking and drinking.

Addressing a World Cancer Day 2014 seminar at the Health Education Bureau, the Minister of Health, Maithreepala Sirisensaid, said a cabinet paper, approved by the President, had been submitted to the government asking it to implement countrywide tobacco and alcohol control programs.

The minister said that cancer could be controlled by controlling the use of tobacco and alcohol, and he said the media had a major role to play in the eradication of the use of these products.

World Cancer Day falls on February 4 and the theme of the event this year is ‘Debunk the myths’.