The organizations said during a webinar on Monday that the draft revision that began in May 2018 should have been completed in a year, but that the drafting process seemed to have slowed down after eight interministerial meetings.

In accordance with Presidential Decree No. 9/2018, the draft revision targets the pictographic health warnings on tobacco products.

The Office of the Coordinating Human Development and Cultural Affairs Minister has also asked the Health Ministry to review the regulations on online cigarette advertising and controlling the consumption of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), also known as vaping devices.

The revised PP on addictive tobacco ingredients appears in the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), which includes a plan to completely ban cigarette advertisements, enlarge the health warning pictographs, strengthen smoking cessation services and reduce child smokers by 0.4 percent.

“The slow revision process shows the government’s lack of awareness about the urgency of controlling high cigarette consumption in Indonesia. The health minister should immediately complete his homework,” said Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto of the National Commission on Tobacco Control (NCTC).

Indonesian Society of Internal Medicine (PAPDI) chairman Sally Aman Nasution stressed that stronger control of tobacco consumption was even more urgent during the COVID-19 health emergency, given that smokers were more vulnerable to contracting the disease.

Popular

Analysis: Prabowo’s approval rating 51 percent and falling

Poverty falls, but the line is too low, economists say

A preventable disaster