PUTRAJAYA, Oct 20 — With over 1.1 million e-cigarette users in the country recorded as of 2019, caretaker Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has today again reiterated the Generational End Game (GEG) Bill would render harm reduction options obsolete for those born after 2007.

Describing the opposition by the Malaysian Society for Harm Reduction as flawed, Khairy said the group's argument made "zero sense” since harm reduction is meant for current habitual users and not for those who have yet to smoke.

Harm reduction refers to policies, programmes and practices that aim to minimise negative health and social impacts commonly associated with substance use.

"Let's say we are in agreement with their argument that the change from tobacco to e-cigarettes brings lesser harm, but we can't be using the same logic for those who have yet to smoke right?

"Those below 18-years-old, they're not supposed to be smoking in the first place.

"I really don't understand their logic. This is all BS,” he said using the polite version of the diss during the launch of the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on management of E-Cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) at the Health Ministry here.

EVALI is a serious medical condition in which a person's lungs become damaged from substances contained in e-cigarettes and vaping products.

The GEG Bill seeks to ban the use, possession and sale of cigarettes and vape products to those born after 2007.

Among the materials available within the CPG included criteria for diagnosis, lab analysis, treatments available and referrals for patients.

Malaysia has recorded four suspected EVALI cases this year after the Health Ministry issued a circular in June directing all confirmed and probable EVALI cases to be notified to the district health office within 48 hours after diagnosis by a medical specialist or a medical officer.

Prior to the issuance of the circular, two cases were reported in 2019 and eight cases in 2021 respectively.

"Even though there are several cases recorded across Malaysia, this figure could be far lower than actual cases due to the absence of a CPG and briefings given to medical officers on the field," Khairy said.

In pushing for early intervention, Khairy said the government would be burdened with treatment costs for EVALI as an admitted EVALI patient would cost around RM50,297 for a four-days hospitalisation alone.

"Early detection and treatment given to EVALI patients have been shown to reduce long-term complications and subsequently cost in medical treatment as well," he added.

Last month, MSHR had argued the federal government’s plan to ban smoking and the sale of all tobacco products to the next generation should be carried out in phases instead of an outright blanket ban.

Citing countries such as New Zealand, MSHR argued for the inclusion of vape as a method for harm reduction instead due to its "efficacy rates” over other harm reduction methods.

They also argued that imposing a blanket ban would fuel the illicit tobacco trade as the Bill would not deter generation after 2007 from accessing tobacco products, vapes or e-cigarettes illegally.

EVALI was first reported in the United States in 2019 when as many as 2,800 cases and 68 deaths were logged by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.