KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry needs several additional engagement sessions with stakeholders before it can table the tobacco and Smoking Control Bill in Parliament.
Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the bill would first be brought to the Parliament Special Select Committee on Health, Science and Innovation chaired by Bandar Kuching member of parliament Dr Kelvin Yii.
He said while he wanted to present the bill in the current Parliament meeting, it still required additional engagement including sessions with non-governmental organisations and those from the cigarette and vape industry.
Khairy said this after the opening ceremony to mark World Hearing Day at the Serdang Hospital today.
"If it is not tabled in this meeting, we'll do so in the next meeting in the middle of the year, which is three to four months from now."
The proposed Tobacco and Smoking Control law contains clauses to prohibit the sale of cigarettes, tobacco and vape products to anyone born after 2005.
The bill is not listed on the Dewan Rakyat's Order Paper.
Khairy said the proposed generational smoking ban was the next step towards reducing cancer cases and improving cancer treatment access in the country.
Tobacco is reportedly responsible for about a fifth of cancer cases in Malaysia, with the annual cost of treating lung cancer from smoking estimated at RM132.7 million.
The first meeting of the fifth session of the 14th Parliament started on March 1.
Khairy can table the bill in the Dewan Rakyat any time before the current Parliament meeting ends on March 24.
