Mykhailo Radutskyi, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Health, has announced plans to expand support for people wishing to give up smoking at the primary healthcare level and to review national standards. The publicly available reports found did not specify the launch date of a dedicated programme, its funding or whether the provision of medicines would be guaranteed free of charge.
Briefly about the main points
- Radutsky announced plans to expand smoking cessation support in primary care.
- Smoking counselling is already provided for GPs.
- According to the WHO, 22% Ukrainian adults smoked every day in 2025.
- In 2023, 19.6% of teenagers aged 13–15 used e-cigarettes.
What does the development of primary care involve?
According to the statement Radutsky, the plan is to focus on supporting smoking cessation at the primary healthcare level and on reviewing national standards. This involves the further development of existing work, rather than the announced launch of a new nationwide programme.
During a consultation, a GP can assess a person’s tobacco or nicotine dependence, determine their readiness to give up smoking, help draw up a personalised plan and provide ongoing support to the patient. Medication-based treatments may be considered by the doctor on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the patient’s health and any contraindications.
Advice on smoking is now part of a GP’s remit
The current system for the provision of primary healthcare provides for counselling to help people reduce habits and behaviours that pose a risk to their health. Smoking is explicitly cited as one such example.
Therefore, any potential changes relate primarily to the consistency and accessibility of support, particularly for people who do not seek help from specialist services. The WHO recommends training healthcare professionals in routine interventions to help people stop smoking.
Smoking amongst adults has fallen by 9 percentage points
According to WHO, in 2006, 31% adult Ukrainians smoked every day, whilst in 2025 the figure was 22%. According to these figures, this represents a decrease of 9 percentage points over almost two decades.
The WHO and Ukrainian experts attribute this positive trend to a range of anti-tobacco measures, in particular restrictions on advertising and smoking in designated areas. At the same time, the consequences of tobacco use remain a significant problem: according to estimates by the Ministry of Health’s Centre for Public Health, they cause around 100,000 deaths in Ukraine every year.
Teenagers are more likely to use new nicotine products
Among adolescents aged 13–15, the prevalence of tobacco use was 26% in 2005, 15% in 2017 and 18% in 2023. This figure covers tobacco use in general and is not the same as smoking conventional cigarettes.
According to the 2023 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 19.6% of adolescents aged 13–15 had used e-cigarettes, 6.9% had used heated tobacco products, and 2.9% used nicotine pouches. These are the most recent figures from the study, not a current survey.
What support does the WHO recommend?
The WHO recommends combining behavioural support and individual counselling with medication where indicated. The choice of medication should be made by a doctor, as it depends on the person’s state of health and any possible contraindications.
You can discuss giving up smoking with your GP. In Ukraine, there is also a government-run online service called «I’m Giving Up Smoking», which offers advice, addiction tests and tools to help you plan your journey to quitting.
