No-smoking Mauritius is campaign aim

The Ministry of Health and Quality of Life has launched a campaign aimed at promoting the concept of an island without cigarettes.

Entitled “L’Ile Maurice sans Tabac” – Tobacco-free Mauritius – the campaign coincides with the International No Tobacco Day marked today, May 31, and hopes to make people aware of the dangers related to smoking which, every year, causes the premature death of millions of people worldwide.

As part of the campaign, thousands of pamphlets cautioning people against the dangers of smoking will be distributed islandwide and a website promoting a no-smoking environment will be launched.

Lectures, workshops and seminars will be held in community centres, social centres, women centres, district and village councils in order to increase awareness.

Provisions of the Public Health (Restrictions on Tobacco Products) Regulations 2008 will also be strictly enforced in order to make the Victoria Hospital and the University of Mauritius complete no-smoking zones.

This measure will later be extended to all other health, education and sports institutions where smoking is already prohibited. In line with these activities, an awareness meeting was held at the Octave Wiehe Auditorium, Reduit.

It brought together about 1,000 students, members of the public, representatives from NGOs and other associations. An exhibition on the fight against tobacco was also opened.