He said his ministry would not compromise in enforcing the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024.

“My stance on the issue of cigarettes and vaping remains unchanged. The full enforcement of this Act is our moral responsibility, to protect future generations from the threat of non-communicable diseases and conditions such as popcorn lung.

“I have issued warnings on this matter before, particularly concerning open pod system vapes. The first step is to ban these vapes, which have been abused for the use of synthetic drugs,” Bernama reported him as saying after delivering his New Year’s message in Putrajaya today.

He said the ban, to cover both the sale and use of such products, would be raised in a Cabinet meeting in the near future.

Separately, Dzulkefly said the Rakan KKM initiative, which aims to offer premium economy-class healthcare services at selected government hospitals, is expected to be launched in the first quarter of this year.

He previously said that excess revenue from the initiative would be used to cross-subsidise services for public patients, support the retention of public healthcare workers by providing opportunities to increase their incomes, and moderate medical price inflation.

Dzulkefly said Cyberjaya Hospital would be the first ministry hospital to offer the service, which will then be expanded to other hospitals nationwide.