E-cigarettes are to be banned in all health service facilities by May 1st.
The HSE says from this date, the use of e-cigarettes will not be permitted in any HSE building or on any HSE Tobacco-Free Campus.
The HSE wants all it's campuses will be tobacco-free by 2015 and the majority of public hospitals now operate a smoke-free campus.
Dr. Stephanie O’Keeffe, National Director, Health and Wellbeing, HSE said
‘The HSE can only recommend safe and effective products and strategies for quitting smoking, and there currently is no conclusive evidence that e-cigarettes are safe for long-term use, or are effective as a smoking cessation aid. The e-cigarettes ban is being introduced as e-cigarettes pose a challenge to smoke-free campus enforcement and come with safety concerns for a healthcare environment.’
‘Smoking is the single leading cause of illness in our nation, responsible for a range of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancers, and for over 5,200 deaths every year.
All HSE service managers nationwide have been informed of this change and have been advised to implement the policy from May 1st 2014.
