Public Agenda (Accra)
Ama Achiaa Amankwah
31 October 2008
Ghana will soon ban smoking in public places mainly to protect non-smokers and children.
Passive smoking (the inhalation of second-hand smoke) has been proven to be as destructive as smoking itself since it also causes serious illness that include heart and lung diseases as well as cancers.
Dr. Ebenezer Appiah Denkyira Director of Human Resource at the Ministry of Health at a seminar noted the ministry was aware of the challenges to be faced during the implementation of the ban.
He enumerated the heavy burden of other public health and development challenges, little political awareness about the economic cost of tobacco use and the effects of second-hand smoke exposure and the fear of economic loss by key stakeholders whose intervention can make a difference in reducing the extent of exposure.
"There are few formal networks that can adequately support country-wide implementation. It is therefore critical for us to consult groups like NGOs and CSOs to share information, create awareness and mobilize support in dealing with these challenges."
He spoke on behalf of the Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Abraham Dwuma Odoom, at a sensitization seminar by the Coalition of NGOs in Tobacco Control (CNTC) on the ban on smoking in public and work places in Accra.
The seminar was to highlight the public health implication of second-hand smoke for non-smokers as well as secure the commitment of stakeholders including hospitality industry, media and professional bodies to support and implement the ban.
According to the WHO, tobacco use is regarded as the chief preventable cause of death around the world. It attributes over five million deaths yearly to tobacco use and related illness.
The figure is expected to increase to over eight million by 2030 and 80% of these deaths will occur in developing countries.
The Focal Person on Tobacco Control at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) Mrs. Edith Wellington disclosed that a 2007 survey showed that the only effective strategy to prevent major public health threat posed by second-hand smoke should be a complete ban of smoking in public places.
She said a 100% smoke free environment is the only means to protect people from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke.
"The right to clean air, free from tobacco is a human right. Most people in the world are non-smokers and have a right not to be exposed to other people's smoke," she emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is collaborating with other stakeholders to get the tobacco bill passed into law.
This will give more meaning to the ratification of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and will constitute a legal framework for the enforcement of tobacco control activities in Ghana.
The objective of the FCTC is to protect future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
Dr. Akwasi Osei, Chief Psychiatrist at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital revealed that tobacco is the second major cause of death worldwide and the fourth commonest risk factor for illness.
He said that one out of every ten adults die yearly out of tobacco related diseases, accounting for about four million deaths a year, while every six and half seconds it kills one person.
"By year 2025 tobacco will kill twenty million people and seven million in developing countries including Ghana. Tobacco shortens the lifespan of smokers by twenty-five years with about 70% of people who begin smoking from their teens die by age forty-five", says Dr.Osei.
He advised the youth not to be deceived by several myths that tobacco use could help them learn well, but must stay away from tobacco which often leads them to use other harmful drugs.
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