KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 (Bernama) — The Health Ministy will intensify the stop smoking campaign this year in its bid to reduce the number of smokers in this country.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said currently, 20 per cent of Malaysia’s 28 million population were smokers.

He said as part of the campaign, all patients at government clinics and hospitals who are smokers will be encouraged to undergo a quit-smoking programme.

“The (quit-smoking) programme is free. I hope smokers will take advantage of it,” he told reporters after opening a health carnival at Gombak near here.

He added that reduced smoking also helped lower the chance of getting non-communicable diseases.