ISLAMABAD: The Initiative on Risk-Reduction and Dependable Alternatives (IRRDA) has urged Pakistan to take inspiration from Sweden, which has become the first nation in the world to achieve official smoke-free status, according to a press release issued here on Thursday, adding smoking rates in Pakistan are more than four times higher than Sweden’s, the press release said.
Sweden has achieved this milestone 16 years ahead of the European Union target while most of its fellow EU member states are set to miss it by a significant margin, it added.
Official health data released by Sweden’s public health agency shows that just 4.5 per cent of the nation’s Swedish-born over 16-year old citizens smoke significantly below the globally recognised benchmark of five per cent for smoke free status.
Sweden’s extraordinary success is the result of their pioneering policy approach to safer alternatives to cigarettes, said the statement.
“The benefits of Sweden’s strategy are enormous, with the country having the lowest percentage of tobacco-related diseases in the EU and a 41 per cent lower incidence of cancer than other European countries,” it added.
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