Tobacco-related diseases cost the country R$ 21 billion.
On World No Tobacco Day, research indicates public and private healthcare spending last year; among the 25 million Brazilian smokers, 300 die annually from smoking-related illnesses.
Agency Brazil – Research released by the Tobacco Control Alliance indicates that R$ 21 billion was spent last year on public and private healthcare for smoking-related illnesses. According to the organization, this amount represents almost 30% of the funds allocated to the Unified Health System (SUS).
The study also reveals that smoking is responsible for 130 deaths per year in Brazil, equivalent to 13% of the total deaths recorded in the country.
According to Paula Johns, director of the Tobacco Control Alliance, it is necessary to dispel the myth that tobacco is bad for health but good for the country's economy. "The reality is different. The costs are enormous," she emphasized.
According to Paula, the study demonstrates that the country spends more on treating diseases considered preventable than the amount collected by the tobacco industry in taxes.
She further warned that the study only considered the direct costs generated by the consumption of tobacco products for health in the country and did not account for, for example, cases registered among passive smokers. "The figures would be even higher," she said.
Among the recommendations listed by the Tobacco Control Alliance for combating smoking in Brazil is the need for new research that includes diseases such as tuberculosis in the list of smoking-related illnesses, as well as surveys on the environmental costs caused by tobacco production in Brazil.
The Secretary of Health Care at the Ministry of Health, Helvécio Magalhães, assessed that the government feels "comfortable and, at the same time, concerned" about tackling tobacco use in the country. He noted that progress has been made, such as the decrease in the number of smokers – the percentage dropped from 16,2% in 2006 to 14,8% last year. He reminded, however, that the country still has 25 million people who smoke.
"We need to improve the legal aspects that deal with banning smoking in enclosed spaces, deterrent taxation, and progress in combating piracy," he emphasized.