Jakarta, April 27 -- The Ministry of Health has urged regional governments in the country to move actively in implementing the smoke-free area policy to reduce secondhand smoke exposure.

"This policy must not stop at the central government level. Regions must move actively," said the Chair of the Tobacco-Related Disease Control Working Group of the Ministry of Health, Benget Saragih, in a statement received here on Sunday.

According to him, the government had created Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024 as a concrete measure to respond to an increase in smoking prevalence, both conventional and electronic cigarettes, especially among children and teenagers.

This was conveyed by Saragih while speaking at the Health Forum: Protect Now...