National Capital District, Port Moresby 10th June 2025- The NCD Provincial Health Authority has commemorated the World No Tobacco Day with the staff and students from New Erima primary school. The events highlight tobacco’s industry tactic and the harm it causes to the younger generation on these nations and the global scale.

Tobacco is considered a harmful product for our health. The Director Public Health Services Dr Amos Lano said that the nicotine in the cigarette is highly toxic and dangerous for our health. “The Nicotine will surely build up in your lungs over time and will induce lung cancer, contribute to hypertension, will slow the growth and development of a child and other underlying diseases as well,” said Dr Lano.

The more cigarettes a smoker takes per day will be equivalent to the reduction of his/her life expectancy. Our individual health is very important as well as others and it is our responsibility to prevent passive smoking and end tobacco related disease.

The Non-Communicable Disease program manager Sr Ileen Thomas further elaborated that Tobacco is designed to have a negative impact on the overall health of a person. “Tobacco kills around 8 million people in the world every year,” said Sr Thomas. She further emphasized that students and staff who already smoke must surely and slowly cut the consumption ratio on a daily basis in order to quit smoking.

The CEO for NCDPHA Dr Robin Oge has urged the students and staff and the NCD residences to abstain from smoking. Let us all promote a healthy lifestyle and live a happy and healthy life. “Change starts within oneself, we as individuals have to choose a nicotine free life,” said Dr Oge.