22.05.2009.

One third of the population in Serbia are smokers and Serbia is among the countries with the highest percentage of smokers – 38% men, 30% women and even 8% among children aged between 13 and 15. The data are better than those obtained nine years ago, as they show a tendency of the reduction of the number of smokers, but the rate is still high anyway, the president of the Republican Expert Commission for the Prevention of Smoking with the Ministry of Health, doctor Srmena Krstev. Jelica Tapušković talked to her.

Doctor Krstev reminds that smoking causes a large number of chronic diseases, some of which may be lethal. The most frequent are diseses on coronary blood vessels, myocardiac infarction, chronic diseases of the respiratory system, such as asthma, etc. It is also related to malignant diseases, above all lung cancer – an illness that was very rare until mid-20th century. Smoking is considered an addiction and it does not threaten smokers themselves, but also those in their surroundings. Pregnant women damage their unborn babies if they smoke, because tobacco passes through placenta and enters the child’s blood, which may cause miscarriage, low weight, the birth of immature babies, etc. Therefore, the Serbian Ministry of Health has adopted a national strategy of the protection of non-smokers, whereby the population is constantly informed about the damaging effect of smoking on smokers themselves and their surroundings as well. Doctor Krstev says that very soon, a new law banning smoking in public places and offices will be soon submitted to the government, which law is to specify not only the areas in which smoking is forbidden, but also punishment measures and protection of non-smokers. The law shall ban smoking in closed areas, there will be no smoking rooms and smoking will be allowed only in front of entrances. The secondary aim of this law, which has already been written, but is currently going through various expert reviews, is to turn smoking into a socially unacceptable manner of behavious. Krstev added that thus Serbia will join a large number of European countries that have already adopted the law on banning smoking.

The Ministry of Health is intensively working on a new law on banning smoking and we will conceive it in that way. We are doing that because the experience of the World Health Organization has shown that only a law completely banning smoking in closed areas can protect the population. There are models allowing smoking in some parts of a restaurant, depending on the restaurant’s size and the owner’s will, but these laws as well require excellent ventillation systems which are expensive, since tobacco smoke, although it is not felt, stays in a room for a long time and threatens the health of others, Krstev said.

A rise of prices of tobacco and excises and taxes on cigarettes has proven the most effective in the prevention of smoking and research shows that more smokers are among the poor and less educated population. There are consultation offices in medical centres, as many as 17 of them, specializing in this area. The most important thing for smoker who wants to give up smoking is to avoid the areas and the company in which they smoked most often.
In the past 5-6 years, the Ministry of Health conducted drives on the damaging effects of smoking on January 31, National Day without Tobacco Smoke, and on 31 May, International Day without Tobacco Smoke. The campaigns were effective, as since the beginning of those drives, the number of people aware of the damaging effects of tobacco smoke has risen to 70%. This year, May 31 will be observed by putting emphasis on pictures showing the effects of smoking. A walk will be organized in Belgrade’s downtown street, Knez Mihailova, and the central event will be held on the Republic Square, including a performance, while Health Minister Tomica Milosavljević will be speaking of the detrimental effects of smoking.