Donation to help implement tobacco control measures in Palembang

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease is donating US$400,000 over two years to the city administration of Palembang, Indonesia, in an attempt to control the consumption of cigarettes there, according to a story in The Jakarta Post.

The authorities in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province, have issued a city ordinance prohibiting tobacco smoking in indoor public places, workplaces, places of worship, places where children are active, education and health establishments, and on public transport.
With the financial aid, the city administration is required to put up no-smoking stickers across the zones in which smoking is not allowed and to discourage the provision of ashtrays and special smoking rooms.

Implementation of the ordinance might take some time, however.

Palembang Health Agency head, Gema Asiani, said the agency was still struggling to disseminate information about the ordinance, which, anyway, was backed only by the threat of reprimands.