Malta

Malta is joining the world to commemorate World No Tobacco Day and the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department has planned an Exhibition with the slogan "Ir-Rejalta" (meaning The Reality). A press conference was held to open the exhibition together with the launch of three new booklets to help smokers quit.

The exhibition was officially opened by the Hon. John Dalli Minister for Social Policy. This exhibition consists of fifteen posters each depicting three pictorial health warnings and is going to be held at the Ministry for Social Policy in Republic Street Valletta.

The exhibition is an initiative of the Tobacco section administered by Anne Buttigieg within the Health Promotion Unit. It will be opened on the 28th May at 10.30am and will run up to the 10th June opening from Monday to Friday during office hours. On Sunday 31st on World No Tobacco Day the Exhibition will also be open in the morning. On this day in Freedom Square close by to the premises there is also going to be Carbon Monoxide testing.

The Carbon monoxide testing is going to be carried out in collaboration with the European Union Campaign Help...for a life without tobacco - the Help tent is going to be put up for this purpose. During the length of the exhibition there is going to be an opinion poll of the pictorial warnings, open for those who visit the exhibits.

The main aim of this exhibition is to increase awareness of the harm that tobacco brings by introducing the concept of graphic warnings and making use of an effective tool for informing current and potential smokers about the dangers of smoking. It is planned that this exhibition will be rotating to other public places in the following month. This would also contribute to demoralize the use of tobacco and encourage quitting by furthering education on the harm that tobacco brings. Evidence from countries where pictorial warnings have been introduced show that images have a greater impact than text warnings alone. We have to find new and innovative ways to illustrate the shocking truth where half of all smokers will be killed by their habit.

The local tobacco legislation for smoke free public places was aimed at protecting the health of the non-smokers, encouraging cessation, improve lifestyle and saves lives. Pictorial warnings will further encourage the smokers to quit. The Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention is also going to introduce the freephone telephone line in order to facilitate access to the available support services for the general public especially for those smokers who want to stop smoking.

The Ministry of Social Policy deserves congratulations for protecting the health of the local population as fewer of them will die prematurely as a result of the legislation and action taken to protect both smokers and non-smokers through adopting different actions and policies.

Such initiatives as the above motivate us even further, to continue moving on and from being front running in legislation we now have to introduce pictorial warnings in order to continue saving lives.