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Akosa expresses concern on delay of
tobacco law
Accra, Jan. 30, GNA - Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa,
Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS); on
Tuesday expressed regret about the delay in the passage of
the law to the ban smoking in public places.
“Somebody is sitting on it, working so seriously to prevent
the Tobacco bill from being passed into law and I want them
to prove me wrong.”
He said it was sad that though many Ghanaians were in
support of the campaign to pass the law that would among
other things ban smoking in public places, the process was
being delayed.
Prof. Akosa said this at a day's dissemination seminar on a
study conducted on the implementation of the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) for religious groups in
Accra.
Present at the seminar were representatives from the
Christian Council of Ghana; Catholic Secretariat; Federation
of Muslim Councils; Ghana Muslim Mission; Charismatic
Churches and Coalition of Muslim Organisations.
He explained that "tobacco smoking caused a lot of harm to
the health of the people and its use was a major cause of
over 20 major categories of fatal, disabling situations such
as cancers, heart attacks and respiratory diseases”.
Prof. Akosa noted that the insensitivity of the appropriate
authorities was a sign of disrespect to the numerous
Ghanaians, who had called for a law to ensure that smoking
was totally banned from public places.
He said the developed countries that manufactured cigarettes
and developing countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and
Benin had succeeded in banning smoking from public places
and even ensured that warning inscriptions were printed
boldly on cigarettes.
A stick of cigarette contains over 4,000 chemicals which
when inhaled could result in cardiovascular diseases; cancer
of the kidney, lung, breast, pancreas and bladder and peptic
ulcer, bronchitis and emphysema among other diseases.
Prof. Akosa said there were 1.3 billion smokers worldwide
with 4.9 million people dying each year.
He said it was unfortunate that smoking and death had
reduced in the developed world where the social vice
originated from and had risen in poorer countries where
women and young children were the most affected.
In Ghana, a survey conducted by the Health Research Unit (HRU)
of the GHS revealed that 45 per cent of smoking took place
in the three Northern Regions where poverty was dominant.
"The absence of a legislation to ban smoking of cigarettes
in all public places; advertisements of tobacco products and
imposition of high taxes on tobacco products is just not
doing us any good but rather urging the tobacco
manufacturers to penetrate our market."
Prof. Akosa hinted that signatures of Ghanaians would be
collected from all the 138 districts including churches and
other civil society to be presented to the Minister of
Health to be forwarded to President John Agyekum Kufuor by
the end of February 2007.
Mrs Edith Wellington of the HRU, explained that the survey
conducted on the FCTC was to assess Ghana's readiness for
tobacco control measures as evidenced by indicators such as
knowledge of health effects of tobacco use; support for
implementation of the provisions of the FCTC by key opinion
leaders; which included policy makers; media personnel;
Parliamentarians and the civil society groups in Greater
Accra.
Respondents expressed concern and gave reasons such as its
health hazards; effect on the nation's economy; its effect
on non-smokers and the fact that smoking led to the use of
hard drugs.
About 94 per cent of the respondents called for a ban on
smoking in indoor workplaces; tobacco and cigarette
advertisement; use of any tobacco product at social events
by sponsors; events sponsored by tobacco companies and give
always of cigarette and other tobacco products to the youth.
For most effective strategies to control smoking and the use
of tobacco products, respondents called for tax increase on
tobacco products; non-sale of cigarette and other tobacco
products to children below 18 years; disclosure of
ingredients in cigarette on packs and display of large,
precise and non-deceptive warning on cigarette packs.
Respondents called for a sustained public education on
harmful effects as well as on the FCTC and urged
Parliamentarians to refuse offers from tobacco companies
while the Government provided adequate financial and other
resources to support the FCTC.
Ms Sophia Twum-Barimah, Public Affairs Officer of the World
Health Organisation (WHO), who gave details of the FCTC,
said Ghana was the 39th nation to ratify the Framework
developed by W.H.O.
She said tobacco related diseases were on the rise in
Africa, saying that over four million people worldwide died
in 1998 of tobacco related cases.
She noted that if the current trend continued, "it is
estimated that by 2030, 10 million people will die from
tobacco related diseases with seven million of them coming
from developing countries.
Ms Twum-Barimah urged the Government; non-governmental
organisations; community groups; health professionals and
religious groups to play their role in combating the
epidemic of tobacco use.
Representatives of the religious groups commended GHS for
the tobacco smoking campaign and pledged their support in
the fight.
GNA
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