Jump to full article: WalesOnline (uk), 2009-10-05
Author: Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail
Intro: SMOKING is costing the NHS in Wales a staggering £1m a day, research today reveals.
And the shocking figures show that more than one in five hospital admissions in Wales is smoking related.
But writing for Health Wales in today’s Western Mail, Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Tony Jewell insisted the nation was now reaping the benefits of schemes to help people stop smoking.
“There are encouraging signs that attitudes towards smoking in Wales are changing,” he said.
“Research commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government shows that the smoking ban has had a significant impact on smoking habits, with people reporting that they’re smoking less and thinking more about quitting.”
Anti-smoking campaigners will today call for more action and a 10-year government strategy to address teenage and adult smoking rates.
Tanya Buchanan, chief executive of Ash Wales, said: “These figures demonstrate the huge costs of smoking to the NHS in Wales.
Jump to full article » |