Smokers are not welcome to apply for jobs at the Ministry of Health, a new decision by Hamad Al-Mane', Minister of Health, said. The decision has come in an early attempt to hit the tobacco companies operating in the Kingdom before a pending case against them filed by the ministry is settled. Tobacco dealers in the Kingdom have officially been prohibited from submitting any bids for medicine or deals with the Ministry of Health, the decision added. The ministry also stopped issuing any medical business licenses for any company operated by or affiliated with a tobacco company. Health insurance will be priced higher for smokers, the ministry instructed the secretary general of the Health Insurance Council, as there are higher medical costs associated with smokers. Last year, the Ministry of Health filed a lawsuit with a Riyadh court against 13 tobacco companies in the Kingdom for compensation amounting to SR127 billion for health damages caused by the spread of tobacco-related diseases in the country. Since 1982, more than 568 million kg of cigarettes have been imported into Saudi Arabia. The quantity is equal to about 31 billion cigarette boxes and 617 billion cigarettes, a legal source at the ministry was quoted as saying.
