HEALTH MATTERS 75 tobacco control


FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO CUT SMOKING RATES


Smoking kills up to 6,500 people in Ireland every year and it is estimated that related healthcare costs account for up to 15 per cent of all annual healthcare costs here. The HSE’s new Tobacco Control Framework sets out a strategic plan to address tobacco issues over the next five years, writes Martina Blake, Framework Project Manager.


The Tobacco Control Framework outlines our commitment to tackling the problem of tobacco-related harm within the population as a whole, and in particular within vulnerable groups such as children, adolescents and those at the margins of society. It provides a strategic plan to address tobacco over the coming five years and outlines national standards for service provision.


WHY ADDRESS TOBACCO USE? The social and economic cost of smoking is detrimental to society in terms of time lost from work due to tobacco-related diseases, productivity losses, medical, disability and mortality costs. In high- income countries like Ireland, smoking- related health care costs account for between six per cent and 15 per cent of all annual healthcare costs, so controlling tobacco use in a comprehensive way is crucial to controlling costs within our health services. The combined evidence of thousands of published scientific papers confirms that there is undisputable evidence that tobacco use has detrimental health effects for those who use tobacco and for those exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS). Second-hand, or passive smoke as it is otherwise known, is defined as a class ‘A’ carcinogen by the US Surgeon General’s Report. Research tells us that half of all smokers


are killed as a direct result of their smoking, and half of them die prematurely. Tobacco use is a significant cause of ill-health (particularly chronic illnesses) and mortality


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