"It's time to enforce tobacco regulations"

General News on Tuesday, June 4th, 2019

Source: Graphic.com.gh

2019-06-04

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Ministry of Health mobilize stakeholders and the general public to help them fight against tobacco, the health impact of tobacco making hundreds of victims each year.

According to the FDA, although the prevalence of smoking in the country has increased from 3.6% in 2009 to 2.8% in 2017, nearly 500,000 people were still involved in this practice.

This figure includes 425,000 men, 69,000 women and 1,700 boys.

Figures from the FDA also revealed that about 75 men died of tobacco in Ghana each week, accounting for 3,900 deaths a year and making tobacco one of the leading causes of death among men.

In the context of the harmful impact of tobacco on health, said yesterday in Accra, at a forum organized on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, the time had come to take the bull by the horn and enforce the regulations regarding smoking.

World Tobacco Day

World Tobacco Day is celebrated around the world on May 31 each year to raise public awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco and the need to support efforts to reduce the threat.

The theme of this year's event was "Tobacco and Respiratory Health".

Amongst the speakers at the event were officials from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the World Health Organization (WHO) country office, representatives of the Special Committee on Parliamentary Health , civil society organizations and the National Union of Students of Ghana. (NUGS).

Collaboration

Ms. Delese Mimi Darko, Executive Director of the FDA, said that although the authority has determinedly conducted many awareness and education programs to deter people from smoking tobacco, more needs to be done. to put an end to this practice.

She pointed out that smoking in public places and growing dependence on "shisha" by young people was a major concern.

Ms. Darko said the FDA, as the regulator, needed the support of policymakers and other agencies to enforce compliance.

Diligence

Dr Owen Kaluwa, WHO Country Director, said in turn that the tobacco epidemic had become one of the biggest threats to public health in the world.

"Smoking is dangerous because it contains 69 chemicals that are known to cause cancer and it is clear that smoking is considered the leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for two-thirds of lung cancer deaths.

For example, just in 2018, 39,000 cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in Africa and nearly 38,000 deaths occurred, "he said.

He congratulated Ghana for making progress in the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Dr. Kaluwa commended the FDA, the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders for efforts to combat tobacco use, particularly for the introduction of pictorial health warnings on tobacco products. .

However, he called on the Ministry of Health to fully implement the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention to counter the threat.

"I urge the government to adopt and implement tobacco control policies to reduce the demand for tobacco, including encouraging cessation and adequately addressing tobacco dependence" , did he declare.

Not

In a speech read on his behalf, Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu said that Ghana has made significant progress in implementing the FCTC by adopting comprehensive tobacco control policies, in particular the 2012 Law on public health (Law No. 851) and the Tobacco Control Regulations, 2016 (L.I224).

He urged all institutions, groups and individuals to support efforts to reduce smoking.

Dr. Kwabena Nuamah, Chairman of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Health, said that the growing number of teens involved in smoking shisha was worrying.

He said it was important that concerted efforts be made to meet the challenge head on.