8 October 2013
Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!
As you have been able to ascertain with your own ears, we have as our guest a wonderful woman in Hungary today [WHO Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan. Ed.]. I have been waiting for this meeting for a very long time. We have not met before and I never imagined that what I have been awaiting for such a long time would be sent here to us by providence in the form of such a woman. Because I have been waiting for a long time for someone who, instead of telling me that this is too much, too radical, be more cautious, says we need more of the same, be more radical, keep on going. I have arrived here today to be with you from a conversation of this nature, because prior to this press conference we discussed several important issues and I am now convinced that the direction which attempts to enable this unique Hungarian solidarity, which is represented by our two-thirds majority, without compromises in the interests of important issues, especially if people's health is involved, is a correct direction that is also backed by international acknowledgement and encouragement.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
It is a great honour to accept this award, although I must admit that the acknowledgment is not primarily my accolade, but that of those of my compatriots who used to smoke one cigarette after the other, possibly for decades, but have now succeeded in giving up smoking. They have my utmost respect, because it is much easier for me to work against smoking, since I have never smoked in my life, something I have mainly my parents and my [football] coaches to thank for. Today we can declare, Ladies and Gentlemen, that more and more Hungarians are giving up smoking. I do not yet dare to declare, as is our custom, that Hungary is also performing better in this field, but I can certainly say that there are promising signs. As we have just heard, policies of this kind require bravery. And a two-thirds majority in Parliament undoubtedly bears with it a huge responsibility. A huge responsibility when one acts, but I think an even greater responsibility if one fails to act. Because to not exploit political power and the opportunities it affords is more than a sin, it is perhaps also a huge mistake. I am very glad to have had such colleagues in recent years -- the Minister of State for Health is here somewhere -- to have had the opportunity to work with healthcare professionals who have convinced me of the fact that we must indeed make use of this rare moment of grace to introduce unorthodox and radical measures that have not yet been attempted elsewhere and are an object of continuous criticism and attack on the part of big investors and industrialists, and which are required to ensure that the people of Hungary can enjoy a better level of health.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
There was much to improve upon. I must tell you, Madame Chan, that the Hungarian statistics are extremely worrying. Hungary is the world number one with relation to deaths caused by lung cancer. 90 percent of deaths from lung cancer can be attributed to smoking. In 2010, 20470 Hungarians lost their lives as a result of smoking. In Hungary, one person dies every 18 minutes because of smoking. In the case of deaths among people under 70, and we have heard about this a little earlier, one third of men and 14 percent of women die as a result of smoking. Hungary is still among the countries with the largest ratio of smokers, and in the 15-17 age group, one quarter of young men and one tenth of young women smoke daily. When we came to power in 2010, we determined several large-scale objectives. One of these was to achieve significant changes within this field, youth protection. As we have heard, the public health product tax and the measures introduced to protect non-smokers have won international recognition, and this is why I have been presented with this award. I am sure you all remember: smoking in closed spaces and in some predetermined open community spaces has been banned since 1 January 2012. From 1 January 2013, tobacco products can only be marketed if their packaging includes a warning with pictures or illustrations. And as a third step, we have also reorganised the tobacco retail system, until recently a cause of daily political debate in Hungary. I do not want to make any accusations, naturally, but we can rest assured that behind the forces that took a stand against the restructuring of the tobacco retail system lies the tobacco industry. There is an international study from which I would like to quote a few things. The "International Youth Smoking" survey published a series of data in 2012, according to which in Hungary, 45 percent of young smokers aged 13-15 purchased their cigarettes in shops and 43 percent of these youngsters had never been refused service because they were too young to buy tobacco products. This was an untenable situation caused by the fact that underage smokers could purchase tobacco products practically anywhere. This means that in Hungary, which is not a huge country, tobacco products were available in 44000 places.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
The battle against smoking must primarily be won among young people if we want the state of health of future generations to improve.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Please allow me to exploit this opportunity to mention, although of course reducing smoking is extremely important, another side of the coin, because in order for the state of health of Hungarian people to catch up to the level of health of the citizens of more developed countries, we must also achieve several other things. A healthy lifestyle must also be promoted. I would like to inform you, Madame Chan, that beginning this September we have introduced everyday physical education in schools, which will be an important factor in promoting a healthy lifestyle, and as I have also had a chance to discuss with you, we have also succeeding in laying the foundations for a new, rational healthcare system. We have also increased wages [in the public healthcare sector Ed.] and so we are doing everything we can to ensure that healthcare becomes a true public issue in Hungary. It is not a topic of today's press conference, but in closing, please allow me to say a few words to mention that at our meeting during this past hour we also touched on issues relating to the mental health of the world's citizens. It is also important that I mention this because as you know, here in Europe we are struggling with a serious economic crisis and so economic issues are at the top of the list on the political agenda. We are fighting against government debt, for a rational budget, for economic growth and for new jobs, and I think we shall be successful in our endeavours, and I can hardly wait for the moment, perhaps another term can be such a moment, when it is no longer the battle against the economic crisis but instead the quality of life that becomes the most important issue on the political agenda. And I very much hope that then I will also have the opportunity to exchange ideas with You on the other problem, the other serious problem in addition to smoking; the issue of the mental health of the population of Hungary and what we can do to improve it. We are counting on the global, universally respected and acknowledged experience of your organisation.
Thank you very much for this award and I wish you all much strength and good health!
(Prime Minister’s Office)
