The 11th instalment of the Public Health Thought Leadership Dialogue was held on 11 October 2022 featuring distinguished speaker, The Honourable Dr Ayesha Verrall, Minister for COVID-19; Research, Science and Innovation; Seniors and Associate Minister for Health, New Zealand.
The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year. In view of this, the theme for the dialogue was chosen as “Creating a Smokefree Future” as thought leaders from both local and international community come together to exchange expertise and perspectives on how we can pave the way to a tobacco-free generation for our youths.
Minister Verrall delivered an insightful keynote address on New Zealand’s Smokefree 2025 Action Plan, highlighting the steps taken across areas of legislation, health promotion, and stop-smoking support services. She then shed light on the Smokefree Generation Policy which aims to prevent the youth and future generations from taking up smoking, driving home the message that there is no safe age to start smoking.
“Creating generational changes involve giving communities burdened by tobacco an experience of the better smokefree future that is within reach,” Minister Verrall commented.
Special thanks to the following esteemed panel speakers for sharing their thoughts on salient topics such as tobacco control policies, equity, tobacco-free generation, industry response, and the importance of empowering the youth.
1. Dr Hsien-Hsien Lei (moderator), Chief Executive Officer, The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Singapore)
2. Dr Derrick Heng, Group Director (Public Health Group), Ministry of Health
3. Dr Koong Heng Nung, Founder and Director of Tobacco-Free Generation International Limited, Adjunct Associate Professor of Duke-NUS Medical School
4. Dr Yvette van der Eijk, Assistant Professor, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
At the end of the session, Prof Teo Yik Ying, Dean of NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, presented Minister Verrall with a calligraphy scroll replica of the memento first gifted to the late Prof Saw Swee Hock when the School was established in 2011. The Chinese characters on the scroll translates to “health for all”, underlying the School’s commitment to turn discovery into healthier communities.
Catch up on the session below: