Wales Becomes First UK Country To Ban Smoking Outside Public Premises

Wales has announced ban on smoking outside school and hospital spaces citing people should be protected from secondhand smoke.

The Labour-led government said the restriction to taking place by summer 2019 and is aimed to de-normalise smoking for children and young people.

Currently most of the hospitals in Wales have no-smoking policies in their grounds, outside their core space, but it is not easy for their staff to enfore it.

Ban on smoking inside the core premises of hospitals was brought in April 2007 by the Cardiff administration.

According to Welsh health secretary Vaughan Gething significant changes to smoking attitudes have been seen in past one decade folling the ban in 2007 and now the plan is to ban the same outsie public spaces too.

“Hospital is no place for smoking and the health board is determined to create a smoke-free environment,” said executive director of public health at Betsi Cadwaladr University health board Teresa Owen.

An earlier report released by the government revealed smoking caused about 5,450 deaths each year in the country and the annual cost burdened on the NHS was estimated at 302 million pound.

Chief executive of the tobacco control campaign group ASH Wales Cymru, Suzanne Cass, said young people are still taking up smoking and it is important to make them know not to consider smoking as normal.