Wei Xilun said that there are differences in smoking motivations and life problems faced by different age groups, and he hopes to launch a "precision smoking cessation" model in the future. (Photo by reporter Lin Zhiyi)
[Reporter Lin Zhiyi/Taipei Report] In recent years, people’s health awareness has increased, and they are more aware of the health hazards of smoking. Wei Xilun, deputy director of the National Health Service of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that in recent years, the smoking rate in my country has continued to decline, and the use of smoking cessation services by smokers has increased year by year. The service targets include traditional cigarettes, heated cigarettes, e-cigarettes, etc. From January to August this year, 373,000 people have been served. In the future, it is also hoped to launch a "precision smoking cessation" model based on the needs of quitters.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an irreversible airway obstruction caused by long-term inflammation of the airways. One person dies from COPD every 10 seconds around the world. More than 5,000 people die from COPD in Taiwan every year. Smokers are 6.3 times more likely to develop COPD than non-smokers. Therefore, quitting smoking is the first step to prevent COPD.
Wei Xilun pointed out that my country has promoted tobacco harm prevention and smoking cessation services for many years. The domestic adult smoking rate has dropped from 14% in 2022 to 12.8% in 2024; and the number of smoking cessation services has increased year by year, and by 2025 It reached 465,000 passengers in 2023, an increase of about 20% compared with 2023. It has also maintained a growth trend this year. From January to August this year (2026), it has served 373,000 passengers, an increase of 13.3% compared with the same period last year.
According to statistics from the National Health Service, the average 6-month success rate of quitting smoking for people who receive smoking cessation services is about 30%. Wei Xilun said that my country's quit smoking success rate is similar to international data and performs better. Since this year, in response to the emergence of emerging cigarette products such as heated cigarettes and e-cigarettes, users of such cigarettes will be included in the smoking cessation service. Among them, the medications required for heated cigarettes can be compared with traditional paper cigarettes, and e-cigarette users will be provided with smoking cessation education services.
Wei Xilun also mentioned that considering the differences in smoking motivations and life problems faced by different age groups, for example, teenagers may smoke heated cigarettes and e-cigarettes because of their peers, while adults may smoke because of high work pressure. It should not be assumed that all smokers who walk into the clinic will look exactly the same. In the future, it is hoped to provide a "precision smoking cessation" model and provide corresponding smoking cessation services according to needs, but the details are still under discussion.
In addition, Wei Xilun pointed out that there are currently nearly 3,000 hospitals, clinics, health clinics and pharmacies in Taiwan that provide smoking cessation services and have provided smoking cessation subsidies for inpatients. The National Health Service also hopes to cooperate with the Medical Policy Council to incorporate smoking cessation services into the KPIs of the clinical care quality plan, and calls on smokers to make more use of smoking cessation services to get rid of smoking addiction as soon as possible and stay away from pulmonary obstruction.
