René Medema, boss of the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek hospital, specialized in cancer, is concerned because the government apparently wants to fight the spread of the corona virus at all costs, while anti-smoking measures are not getting off the ground.
“Corona must be fought at all costs, but it does not seem to be seen that more people are dying from cancer. I find absurd that we are not able to put cigarettes out of the supermarket, “ Medema complains, chairman of the board and professor of medical oncology.
Supermarkets
He thinks a strict anti-smoking policy is more defensible than a strict corona policy, especially when you consider that smoking costs more than 19,000 lives per year, much more than COVID-19.
Medema is therefore fed up with the ‘talks before the stage’ about sustainability of the supermarkets, especially because they still sell cigarettes. “If they really care about the health of customers, they will stop today.”
Medema does not want to downplay the corona victims, but sees that 80 percent of the 10,000 lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. Smoking is also responsible for the development of head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, the lung disease COPD and heart problems.
“Smoking is a bigger threat to public health than corona.”
Fipronil-no
“We get a fipronil egg directly from the supermarket because of a very small dose of harmful insecticide. But there is a much smaller health risk involved than tobacco. As a consumer you can think: it is in the supermarket, so it will be good. That is why it is so nice that Lidl no longer sells smoking products “, the professor explains, while further explaining that the Dutch economy can do without tobacco.
“If the whole of the Netherlands stops, that would suddenly result in thirty percent less cancer mortality. Thirty percent! Thirty percent of all cancer deaths can be attributed to tobacco. In comparison: we as doctors and researchers are doing our utmost to improve cancer treatments. . Every year we achieve 1.5 percent health gain. We are very happy with that. For thirty percent health gain we have to work for about twenty years. We would be twenty years further in one fell swoop if we banned tobacco! “
Earnings model on the back of the population
The fact that tobacco earns the state 2.4 billion euros in excise duties seems to be the main culprit. The estimated healthcare costs are a lot lower, around 500 million euros, so an enormous amount of money is being rake in with the sale of tobacco. However, Medema finds this reprehensible. “What exactly have we earned that from? From the misery of our population.”
