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local Friday 3 March 2023

Prime Minister of Aruba meets with the Smoking around the area

American ambassador in The Netherlands of hospital Dr. Horacio

Oduber is forbidden

(Oranjestad)—Yesterday tion, and which dedicates
morning the minister of in the improvement of life,
Tourism and Health, Dangui services and health for the
Oduber, along with board Aruban community.
director of the hospital Jacco Voegop pointed
(HOH), Jacco Voegop and out that “HOH, LABHOH
board member Gregory and Blood Bank focuses
Croeze, held a press con- on providing better care
ference to further discuss and service to our patients
(Oranjestad)—This week, Prime Minister Jeanette Richardson-Baars (CMAA) this new development at and clients. The health of
Everlyn Wever-Croes met with American During the meeting, Mrs. Richardson-Baars the local hospital. the workers, patients and
ambassador Mrs. Shefali Razdan Duggal provided the ambassador insight in all the visitors is our priority. This is
who is currently visiting the island. Ambas- work that CMAA does to fight human traf- Minister Oduber pointed why we had made the de-
sador Duggal has been an ambassador ficking, as well as sharing some challenges out that this is an example cision to make the hospital
for a few months now in The Netherlands that the organization faces and what can for all government compa- completely smoking-free,
and wanted to get to know Aruba and in- be done to improve Aruba’s position in nies and institutions. It is an because we are the am-
terchange perspectives on different top- this. According to Richardson-Baars, the important step in the imple- bassadors of health on the
ics. ambassador suggested to pay attention in mentation of the National island.”
helping the Chinese and Indian communi- Ordinance Restricting To- The hospital has been
One of the topics discussed involves the ties on the island, as not much information bacco Products (AB2016 working hard to provide
issue of the Venezuelan border and how is known about them in comparison to the no.41). information and offer work-
to best approach this. America offered its Venezuelan and Colombian communities As it is already known, this ers interested coaching
help in this. Another topic was the general on the island. lay had been implemented sessions with lung special-
recovery on the island, tourism, economic on May 2nd, 2022. This law ists to stop smoking. More-
investments and the diversification of the Furthermore, Mrs. Razdan Duggal offered prohibits the people under over, they are also working
economy. Prime Minister Wever-Croes ex- her help to stimulate interest in these top- 21 years of age from buy- on a plan to figure out how
plained to the ambassador the various ics in The Netherlands: “It’s always good ing or consuming tobacco bring the best service and
opportunities on the island to diversify the when international government represen- products, or to work in near care to patients admitted
sector of energy, which is an area the US is tatives pay a visit and give their support,” places that sell tobacco at the hospital that may
very interested in investing in. she stated. In conclusion, the prime minis- products. Additionally, the have an addiction to any
ters expressed that the meeting was fruitful law prohibits smoking in a tobacco product.
Furthermore, plans for the Hydrogen Val- and though intense, it went very well. q building of public area. It is important to mention
ley by Minister Glenbert Croes were also For this reason, HOH decid- that the law prohibits peo-
elaborated on, as well as the concerning ed to implement this law in ple from smoking in pub-
situation of asylum, immigration on the is- which they will be reinforc- lic places. In case there is
land and drug trafficking from the South ing a ban on smoking ciga- smoking around the hospi-
American continent to the island. Aruba, rettes, electric cigarettes or tal area, Gregory Croeze
The Netherlands and the US are working any other type of product insured that there will be
hard in maintaining our waters safe and that contains tobacco on personnel on the premises
will therefore be intensifying their coopera- the premises of the hos- to stop this. In the worst
tion. pital, LABHOH and Blood case scenario, the hospital
Bank, as well as inside the will contact local authori-
Another important topic concerned hu- building and parking lots. ties to remove the smoker
man trafficking, which unfortunately is also The minister stated that this from the premises, as this
a reality on the island. During this meeting, prohibition is one the im- can risk the hospital in get-
Mrs. Jeanette Richardson-Baar, chief of portant aspects in Aruba’s ting fined.q
the Coordination Center on Human Traf- plan for disease preven-
ficking and Migrant Smuggling Aruba”
(CMAA) / Mensenhandel Mensensmokkel
was also present. The prime minister ex-
plained that CMAA is paying close atten-
tion on the developments of human traf-
ficking on the island.