Tobacco claims 40 lives a day in Serbia, doctor says

Doctor Ika Pesic, head of the Clinic‘s prevention and addiction department, said that about 16,000 people die of tobacco smoke inhalation every year.  

Some 5,000 people die of lung cancer in Serbia every year with tobacco being the main contributor to coronary diseases, strokes and blood vessel ailments. Serbia ranks second only to Montenegro in terms of smoker numbers in the region with smoking on the rise among women.

Dr Pesic warned that anti-smoking laws have not been implemented strictly since 2012 and added that the country has to adopt a stricter law to meet European Union standards.

The World Health Organization (WHO) office chief in Serbia Marijan Ivanusa warned that Serbia looses abotu two percent of its GDP to smoking. “That’s not just to medical treatment costs but also because of expenses in the economy,” he said.

The WHO and partner organizations marked World No Tobacco Day on May 31 with focus this year on the negative effects of tobacco on lung health.