The current 12 members of the alliance will draft a charter with a mandate to develop and implement local regulations for 100% smokefree public places and workplaces. Their mandate will also include provisions to ban outdoor tobacco advertisements over the next 12 months. These activities will be carried out in close coordination and with support from the MOH. The alliance will be led by Mayor of Padang Panjang, Dr. H. Suir Syam, who was elected president, and the Mayor of Palembang Ir. Eddy Santan Putra, who will serve as an advisor, facilitating and overseeing the work.
As its mandate grows, the alliance hopes to expand its membership to 22 cities. They will offer support to committed mayors and district regents who are trying to develop and enforce tobacco control laws by sharing best practice models from cities already implementing such legislation. The alliance will reciprocate the support of the MOH by backing its initiatives to consolidate tobacco control implementation, including the MOH’s plans to integrate non-communicable diseases control programmes into its agenda at the national and sub-national levels.
The presence of the Minister of Health, Dr. Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, and other ministerial officials at the launch meeting, demonstrated the MOH’s high level of commitment to tobacco control. Representatives from cities that are already implementing 100% smokefree policies, such as Jakarta, Palembang, Padan Panjang and Bogor, shared their experiences with the group. The Union’s Executive Director, Dr. Nils E. Billo, also attended and was among those who detailed the burden of tobacco and non-communicable diseases on national and international health and economies. Other speakers including the Director General of the Directorate of Disease Control and Environmental Health, Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, and the WHO Representative to Indonesia, Dr. Khanchit Limpakarnjanarat stressed the necessity of measures to be put in place for tobacco and NCD controls.
Indonesia has the third highest smoking rate in the world. Around 65.1% of men smoke and an estimated 200,000 die annually as a result of tobacco-related illnesses, according to WHO. The government spends an estimated annual Rp11 trillion ($1.2 billion USD) on health care to treat tobacco-related illnesses. The mayors’ alliance has been formed to alleviate the harmful effects of smoking on citizens’ health and economic livelihood and to provide a governing body for the effective coordination and implementation of policies. Additionally, their unified front will hopefully inspire the 96 members of the Mayors Association of Indonesia, with whom they will share their experiences and whom they will encourage to join in their efforts.
The Union
subtitle: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease