Tory MP and health secretary Victoria Atkins explains why she wants to totally ban smoking in the UK: Commons, 16/04/24
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00:00 For a moment, if I may, Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like us to imagine that we're not
00:05 in this historic and magnificent chamber, but we are instead standing at the entrance
00:11 of a local hospital. A patient comes through the doors, struggling to breathe. Smoking
00:17 sent their asthma spiralling out of control. A minute later, another patient passes by.
00:24 Smoking caused the heart disease they're battling. A minute later, another person comes
00:29 in. And then another. This vicious cycle repeats itself nearly every minute of every day in
00:37 our national health system. Because here in the United Kingdom, almost one hospital admission
00:44 a minute is the human cost of smoking. Smoking leaves people with premature dementia. It
00:51 puts them in care, attached to oxygen for the rest of their life. It increases the risk
00:57 of stillbirth by almost 50%. It is responsible for 75,000 GP appointments every month. And
01:08 it takes around 80,000 lives every year.