Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye reminded eateries today the smoking ban is within 3m of their premises.

If an eatery provides a designated smoking area beyond the 3m, he said, it will not fall under the jurisdiction of the health ministry but the local authority,

Speaking after a blood donation campaign at the Batu Gajah parliamentary community service centre, he said eateries would have to comply with conditions of the restaurant operating licence issued by local authorities, and stern action would be taken if the rules were flouted.

On a separate matter, Lee said lack of awareness on the importance of early cancer detection was among the causes for the rise in the number of new cases.

According to statistics, 95% of cancer cases can be treated with early detection, he said, adding that treatment may be difficult once the cancer has entered the fourth stage.

He said initial screening for cancer may be done at health clinics through mammogram and pap smear tests as well as blood stool screening for colorectal cancer.

On Friday, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there has been an increase in the number of new cancer cases from 2012 to 2016, with 115,238 cases detected compared to 103,507 from 2007 to 2011.

The rate for cancer cases is 86 per 100,000 male population and 102 cases per 100,000 female population, a report said, listing the top 10 types of cancer detected among Malaysians as breast, colorectal, lung, lymphoma, nasopharynx, leukemia, prostate gland, liver, uterus and ovary cancer.

Analyses by gender found that the highest rates of cancer in men were colorectal, lung and prostate gland cancer, while in women it was breast cancer followed by colorectal and cervical cancer.