ARARAT and Stawell healthcare groups have welcomed a Quit Victoria campaign to dramatically decrease the state’s smoking rate.
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Target 2025 aims to decrease daily smoking rates to five per cent by 2025.
Quit Victoria estimates reaching this target would save the economy $4.042 billion over the next seven years, and countless lives.
In 2015–16, smoking cost the Victorian economy $602 million in healthcare costs. This includes hospital, ambulance and other medical expenses.
Statistics show 13.7 per cent of people in the state smoke each day.
Quit Victoria estimates 450,000 of the 730,000 Victorians who currently smoke will die prematurely.
Stawell Regional Health chief executive Libby Fifis said a smoke-free Victoria would have significant benefits for the Stawell community, which had a smoking rate of 16.6 per cent.
“Smoking is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is not surprising that the rate of cardiovascular disease in the Stawell catchment – 10.1 per cent – is also higher than the rest of Victoria at 8.9 per cent,” she said.
“The demand for cardiac rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation programs at Stawell Regional Health is growing, and we know that many hospital admissions are considered preventable and are related to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
“Prevention efforts such as the Quit Victoria campaign are essential to reducing the rates of chronic disease and improving short and long-term health outcomes of our community.”
East Grampians Health Service interim chief executive Andrew Freeman said the service was a smoke-free organisation, and actively promoted this.
“I think it is really important for us to set an example and promote a smoke-free environment,” he said.
“It’s also about having a role around educating the community on the effects of smoking. Smoking can lead to a number of chronic conditions.
“The more we can do to reduce people smoking in the community, the more we can address those conditions that come with smoking.
“We are fully supportive of educating the community about smoking and what it does to people. Quite a large number of hospital admissions are related to the affects of smoking, so the more we can do to educate people on the dangers and promote a smoke-free environment is a positive thing.”
