Deputy health minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said raids on vaping premises were not recklessly carried out and were conducted for specific reasons, based on existing regulations and laws.

“No one wants to oppress (vape entrepreneurs). We want to keep the people healthy.

“I believe the action was done for certain reasons,” he said when met by reporters after officiating a first aid training programme and the use of automatic external defibrillators (AED) at the Taiping Zoo and Night Safari Pavilion today.

Recently, Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce secretary-general Ridhwan Rosli said the health ministry’s raids and confiscation of goods in the Klang Valley had badly impacted small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, incurring losses running into millions of ringgit.

Ridhwan was reported as saying the raids appeared to put pressure on the industry because they did not agree with the ministry’s proposal to equate vaping with cigarettes and the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022.

Noor Azmi also said the ministry would make a decision on the relaxation of wearing face masks. The decision would be announced by health minister Khairy Jamaluddin soon.

“This is because case data on Covid-19 has shown a decrease recently and we are also close to normal life,” he said.

Earlier, National Rehabilitation Council chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said the decision on the use of face masks would be decided by the health ministry as the council had asked Noor Azmi to look into the need for face masks if the Covid-19 situation gradually improves.

On the use of automatic external defibrillators, Noor Azmi said the ministry recommended that all tourist and recreational spots provide such devices for public use.

He said the availability of the defibrillators could reduce the risk of sudden death during emergencies such as fainting, drownings or heart attacks.

“I welcome this effort because many sudden deaths occur after people play badminton or football or after a jog,” he said.