Although the increase in the price will surely discourage those who can no longer afford to smoke after paying the hefty price, which brings a box of cigarettes close to MVR 300, the administration has also started work towards helping those with nicotine addiction by announcing the cessation services will be made available throughout the Maldives.
PSM News
The Maldives is finally seeing major efforts being put towards helping generations of smokers give up the habit as the Government starts to work towards implementing some new changes. Although the Government announced a full ban on vapes and vape-related items in a move to establish healthier choices for future generations, the Government also increased the rates of tobacco which saw a drastic increase in the price of a box of cigarettes.
Although the increase in the price will surely discourage those who can no longer afford to smoke after paying the hefty price, which brings a box of cigarettes close to MVR 300, the administration has also started work towards helping those with nicotine addiction by announcing the cessation services will be made available throughout the Maldives. Not only will the introduction of cessation clinics in the islands as well as the city make them accessible throughout the Maldives, but this will be one of the first major initiatives taken by the Maldivian Government in an effort to provide additional resources to help people quit smoking.
In order to provide additional resources in the meantime, the Government has also established a cessation helpline, named ‘Quit Line’. According to the Minister of Health, Abdulla Nazim, the establishment of the hotline, 1767, will be made available 24 hours a day in order to assist those who are seeking help in order to quit smoking. Through this helpline, those who are seeking to give up the habit of smoking can have easier access to nicotine patches and gum along with other treatment options which have proved to accommodate quitting smoking.
