[Intl-tobacco] Belarus Bans Smoking at Medical Establishments

[Robert Weissman]

Belarus Bans Smoking at Medical Establishments
Source: NewsEdge, Friday, 1/5/01

 MOSCOW (Jan. 4) XINHUA via NewsEdge Corporation - Belarus announced a ban
on smoking at all medical establishments in the country Thursday,
according to reports reaching here from Minsk.

The ban was imposed by orders from Public Health Minister Igor Zelenkevich
and came into effect on the same day, a spokesman for the Belarussian
Public Health Ministry was quoted as saying.

Medical servicemen want to show a desire for a healthy way of life and to
set a good example for the public, he said.

A recent survey indicates that nearly 50 percent of the country 's
population smoke. "Belarus is now living through a veritable epidemic of
tobacco smoking, which is very dangerous for people's lives," said Deputy
Public Health Minister Valery Filonov.

Filonov noted that the drive against smoking in Belarus is especially
urgent because the republic had suffered from the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant disaster, and each cigarette for a man is "another small Chernobyl."

Moreover, he said, a presidential decree is being drafted to ban tobacco
advertising and smoking at all public places and offices.