The RM250 fine for smokers at eateries come Jan 1 will be enforced without further delay, said deputy Health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye.
The ministry will deploy 5,000 environmental health officers to carry out inspections and fine smokers from Jan 1.
"There is no change in the enforcement date, the policy will be imposed as planned,"
"Those who fail to pay the fine can be prosecuted in court, the fine can go as high as RM10,000," Lee said.
He said this after opening the Antimicrobial Resistance Seminar at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang.
Many are unhappy about the smoking ban and fine while seven individuals from Malacca had challenged the Health Ministry’s ban at food outlets.
The group failed in their bid after the High Court dismissed their judicial review application on Oct 19.
It was dismissed by Judge Mariana Yahya on grounds that the Health Ministry had acted within its jurisdiction.
The judge said enforcement of smoking ban did not breach articles 5 and 8 of the Federal Constitution.
Meanwhile, Lee urged patients to stop requesting doctors to prescribe them with antibiotics.
"Good doctors don’t prescribe antibiotics. Unnecessary antibiotic consumption has led to patients not responding well to standard treatments and making diseases difficult to cure," Lee explained.
He cited a 2017 survey claiming Malaysians took 10.6 defined daily doses out of per 1000 antibiotics per day.
Describing it as "frightening", Lee said the survey result meant a minimum of 10 Malaysians consume antibiotics daily.
"The World Health Organisation estimates drug-resistant diseases causing at least 700,000 deaths globally a year, including 230,000 deaths from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
"If nothing is done, the figure could increase to 10 million deaths globally per year by 2050 under the most alarming scenario if no action is taken," he said.
Lee pointed out that the most common colds are caused by viruses and antibiotics were not necessary for treatment.
He said antibiotics were used only for secondary infection, which rarely occur for upper respiratory throat infections.
Meanwhile, Lee reminded an action plan (from 2017 to 2021) on countering antimicrobial resistance due to overuse of antibiotics was already in the pipeline.
Doctors and patients alone are not responsible for the matter, said Lee.
"It is also through antibiotics which were fed to animals and later passed on to humans who consume them," he said, expressing concern over colistin antibiotics which were fed to livestock.
"The ministry is discussing with relevant agencies to urge animal husbandry to find other ways to prevent diseases of animals," he added. - Mkini
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