Minister Hopes Govt to Sign FCTC Immediately

Jakarta (Antara) - Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi hopes that Indonesia will sign the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) before the end of 2013. "The government can sign the FCTC with a law, a government regulation or through a presidential regulation. It is possible for the government to accede to the convention with a presidential regulation, but probably it cannot do it in the near future through a law because time is running short, while it should be endorsed by the House of Representatives (DPR)," the minister said here on Friday. The minister noted that she had made requests about signing the convention to two coordinating ministers, asking that a meeting be scheduled to discuss the issue. "I have made verbal requests to two coordinating ministers, but both of them are busy. I hope in the next one or two weeks that the matter will be discussed," Minister Mboi said. Indonesia is the only country in Asia which has not yet joined the FCTC. Based on World Health Organization data, until June 25, 2013 177 countries have signed the convention. Indonesia, along with Andorra, Eritrea, Liechtenstein, Malawi, Somalia and Zimbabwe, have not yet agreed to the convention. The minister stressed that it was very important for the country to sign the convention to protect the public's health from cigarette smoke. About 200,000 people die of cigarette-related diseases in Indonesia each year, making up about 12.7 percent of total death cases. The prevalence of adult men smokers in Indonesia stands at 67.4 percent, while some 4.5 percent of women smoke, or about 61.4 million people (men and women). About 92 million people in Indonesia are exposed to cigarette smoke, and called passive smokers. Also, 43 million children are also exposed to cigarette smoke, of whom 11.4 percent are between the ages of 0 to 4 years old. (*)