On 19/5, the Ministry of Health launched its second "Smoke-Free Healthcare Facility" campaign. A new feature this year empowers patients to directly assess hospital compliance through voting, for facilities with 100 beds or more, moving beyond internal reports.
Deputy Health Minister Tran Van Thuan urged hospitals to go beyond merely displaying "no smoking" signs. He mandated that medical staff must actively supervise, address violations, and assist patients with cessation. Thuan stressed that each lit cigarette devastates the health of smokers and those nearby, while also imposing a financial burden on families and society.
From an epidemiological and economic perspective, tobacco smoke, containing 70 carcinogens, drains approximately 108 trillion VND from Vietnam annually due to treatment costs and reduced labor productivity. Nearly 300 lives are lost each day, a figure tens of times higher than the total fatalities from traffic accidents.
This mortality rate, coupled with the 108 trillion VND economic loss, overburdens the hospital system. Frontline medical staff are constantly managing millions of cases of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and myocardial infarction, all complications stemming from smoking habits.
Tobacco often incapacitates working-age men, who are typically family financial pillars, through a destructive process spanning many years. Patients are often forced to deplete their life savings on costly cancer chemotherapy, leading to family financial ruin. Moreover, many women and children also face cancer diagnoses or endure acute respiratory distress simply from inhaling secondhand smoke from family members.
Vietnam currently operates a network of over 2,100 public and private hospitals, accommodating nearly 20 million patient visits each year. Given this high patient density, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Administration Ha Anh Duc stated that "eliminating passive toxic smoke is a crucial measure of each facility's management capability and reputation."
In 2025, a similar campaign engaged nearly 300 facilities. Hospitals with strong compliance, such as Cho Ray Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Ho Chi Minh City, and Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi, demonstrated effective results by creating healthy recovery environments and completely eliminating smoke exposure for both patients and medical staff.
Le Nga
