As smoking continues to ravage lives and increase public spending, the Minister of Health, Amine Tahraoui, is sounding the alarm. During his speech in the House of Representatives, he revealed the scale of the problem and the measures planned to curb this silent epidemic.
During the weekly oral questions session in the House of Representatives, Tahraoui highlighted tobacco use as a major public health problem. He revealed alarming figures, confirming that tobacco causes the death of thousands of Moroccans each year and costs 5 billion dirhams to the national economy.
According to the minister’s explanations, supported by data from the World Health Organization (WHO), smoking kills nearly 8 million people worldwide each year, and that Morocco is not spared from this global catastrophe. .
He thus specified that 13.4% Moroccan adults aged 18 and over smoke, an alarming figure which explains why smoking is responsible for 8% of deaths in Morocco. The toll is even heavier for certain specific diseases. Tahraoui said that 75% of deaths from lung cancer and 10% of deaths from respiratory diseases are attributable to tobacco.
-In addition, he took the opportunity to present the results of an evaluation conducted by the ministry. This shows that smoking causes 74,000 cases of cardiovascular disease each year, as well as 4,227 new cases of lung cancer, causing 12,800 premature deaths. The minister affirmed that these figures reflect a real health and financial hemorrhage for the country.
Therefore, the fight against tobacco becomes a stated priority of the national strategy for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases for 2019-2029. Tahraoui stressed that the ambitious goal is to reduce tobacco consumption among people aged 15 and over by 20% by 2029.
To achieve this, the ministry is counting on an intensification of awareness campaigns, with the active support of the media, to make the general public aware of the harmful effects of tobacco. In addition, it strengthens support for smokers wishing to quit, by increasing the number of support services in health establishments, particularly in health centers intended for young people.
