News Tunisia

This initiative, as acknowledged by the WHO, reflects the importance attached to preserving the health of citizens and protection against chronic diseases.

Smoking kills 8 million people worldwide. Several studies have demonstrated the close connection between the scourge and the emergence of certain serious and chronic illnesses such as cancer and respiratory diseases and cardio-vascular diseases.

In Tunisia, the situation is more worrisome because of the increasing number of smokers, 55% are adults and 12.8% are adolescents (5.8% belong to the age group ranging from 12 to 14).

Tobacco is the cause of death of 6850 people per year in Tunisia. This plague is also responsible for 90% of lung cancers, 85% of arteritis, 65% of cancers of the head and neck (mouth, lips, tongue, larynx, pharynx, esophagus), 40% of bladder cancers and 35% myocardial infarction.

To eradicate this scourge, Tunisia has implemented an action plan to reduce the number of smokers and to entrench a preventive behavior among people affected by this issue, particularly young people.

This plan focuses on enhancing awareness and information in schools, universities, workplaces, public and shared, and through various media and means of communication about the harms of tobacco and the human and coot Financial smoking.

It also focuses on encouraging smokers to take advantage of counseling services help with withdrawal created in teaching hospitals and health centers based. Sixty similar services will soon be installed, in addition to 21 currently available.

In this context, specialists in respiratory diseases and primary care physicians were trained to support smokers in the medical and psychological. Some 1,800 physicians will benefit from this training in 2009, conducted in collaboration with the National Insurance Fund (NHIF).

The effort is focused on the provisions of applicable law concerning the ban on smoking in public spaces, to combat smoking.

Some 1,730 health workers have received training in the field of enforcement of existing legislation and registration violations, in addition to the creation of regional committees in the governorates to monitor the implementation of this law more rigorously.

A national symposium will be held in June 2009 on the role of organizations and associations in the fight against smoking which will culminate in the proclamation of the pact involving all the parties for the implementation of the initiative of the Head of State place 2009, the year control.